SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General when he expects to publish the Law Officers' Departments' gender equality schemes.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service published its Agenda Equality Scheme on 4 December. My other Departments will publish their Schemes by April 2007 in accordance with the requirements of the Equality Act 2006.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work in the Law Officers' Departments are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when they are exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies.

Mike O'Brien: From 6 April 2007, private sector organisations, when carrying out functions of a public nature on behalf of public authorities, will be required to comply with the general gender equality duty which is to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men.
	My Departments already have in place some guidance on these issues and reference will be made to the Equal Opportunities Commission's (EOC) Code of Practice of gender equality duty and any further EOC guidance when available.
	In addition in drawing up gender equality schemes my Departments will ensure that these issues are fully covered. The CPS already has in place guidance on addressing equality issues in procurement, including issues of gender equality.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans he has to carry out gender impact assessments of the Law Officers' Departments' major policy developments and new legislation.

Mike O'Brien: My Departments are all putting arrangements in place to ensure regular gender impact assessments of policy developments, legislation and office practices and procedures. This conforms to the requirements which will take effect from 6 April 2007, in line with the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006; and Departments will also refer to Equal Opportunities Commissions (EOC) Code of Practice on the gender equality duty and specific guidance when available.
	Staff have been, or are being, trained to conduct such assessments.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is taking to ensure that the Law Officers' Departments are taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies  (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) to promote equality between women and men.

Mike O'Brien: My Departments are all taking the necessary steps to meet the statutory duties that will come into force in April 2007 to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and to promote equality between women and men.
	The CPS has already published its single Equality Scheme and my other Departments will have published their Gender Equality Schemes by April 2007.
	The necessary training of staff is also being undertaken.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Coal Extraction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support for trial schemes his Department has given to extraction of national coal reserves through Underground Coal Gasification; and what assessment his Department has made of the merits of such extraction.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI provided support for a study into the feasibility of using UCG to access the coal reserves under the Firth of Forth. This work was undertaken by Heriot-Watt University, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish and Southern Energy Ltd. A report was published earlier this year, entitled "Creating the Coal Mine of the 21(st )Century".
	In addition a report by DTI, titled "Review of the Feasibility of Underground Coal Gasification in the UK", on the feasibility of UCG in the UK was published in June 2004.

Companies House

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many attempts to gain unauthorised access to the computer systems of Companies House have  (a) been detected and  (b) succeeded in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: Over the last five years there have been no successful attempts to gain unauthorised access to Companies House computer systems.
	It is difficult to put a figure against the number of unauthorised access attempts. On average 200,000 internet connections are rejected by our firewall per day.

Cramlington Land Partnership

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support was provided to Cramlington Land Partnership by the Government in 2005-06; and what the nature was of the land that the partnership developed in relation to this funding.

Margaret Hodge: Cramlington Land Partnership was offered an ERDF grant of £279,260 against eligible expenditure of £1,117,040 on 16 December 2003 under the North East Objective 2 Programme 2000-06 to refurbish an existing building to create a total of 12 units with improved parking and vehicle loading facilities. The offer was further increased to a total of £321,854 against total eligible costs of £1,287,416 and the creation of a further three units on 4 July 2005. The project was completed in September 2006.
	The refurbished building was already located on brown field land (0.95 ha) but the project costs did not include any further development of the land.

Departmental Publications

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of commissioning the Ethnic Minority Business Finance Survey.

Margaret Hodge: The Ethnic Minority Survey of SME Finance was commissioned after the 2004 UK SME Finance survey at a cost of £162,000. It was commissioned because the UK SME survey did not provide reliable data on ethnic minority experience in raising finance.
	The Survey required substantial resources and work in order to allow us to fully identify the different problems and experiences between the five key ethnic minority groups (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Black Caribbean).
	The results will be compared to the experiences of white owned businesses when accessing finance.

Electricity Supply

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether each domestic dwelling has a right to be connected to an electrical supply.

Malcolm Wicks: Electricity distributors are under a duty, with a few exceptions, to connect premises when requested by either the owner, the occupier or an authorised supplier acting with the consent of the owner or occupier. Payment can be requested by distributors for this work. The vast majority of homes fall within the framework which provides for an electricity connection to be made.

Electricity Supply

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what circumstances a utilities company may impose a compulsory wayleave in order to provide an electrical supply to a resident who is not so connected.

Malcolm Wicks: As with other utilities performing a public service role, distribution network operators have access to compulsory powers to install and maintain their equipment. This enables them to fulfil their statutory duty to connect which is set out in sections 16 and 17 of the Electricity Act 1989, as amended by section 44 of the Utilities Act 2000. The exercise of compulsory powers is subject to a statutory process where ultimately confirmation or refusal of application is given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry or officials acting on his behalf.

Electricity Supply

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on action to ensure each pensioner has access to an electrical supply.

Malcolm Wicks: No discussion has taken place. For those homes without a supply, electricity distributors are under a general duty, with a few exceptions, to connect premises when requested by either the owner, the occupier or an authorised supplier acting with the consent of the owner or occupier. Distributors can require payment for making connections.

Energy Prices

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact on small businesses of recent rises in energy prices; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are concerned that business customers, including small businesses, have been affected by the recent rises in energy prices, though small users still pay around the EU median, thanks to our competitive energy market.
	A number of initiatives have been launched to help small businesses cope with rising energy prices, such as the joint Energywatch/Federation of Small Businesses "Make the Connection" campaign, and Ofgem's non-domestic review group.

Energy Supply: Marketing

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which codes of practice govern the information that  (a) energy suppliers and  (b) their agents are obliged to provide to small businesses in the course of marketing activities.

Malcolm Wicks: There are no codes of practice governing the information provided to the business sector as part of the process of marketing gas and electricity supply.

EU Gas Co-ordination Group

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) function,  (b) constitution and  (c) budget of the EU Gas Co-ordination Group is for 2006-07.

Malcolm Wicks: The function of the EU Gas Co-ordination Group is to facilitate the co-ordination of security of supply measures in the case of a major gas supply disruption. This is defined as a situation where the EU risks losing more than 20 per cent. of its gas supply from third countries and the situation cannot be managed using national measures. It also has a role in collecting and providing information on the current and future security of supply situation in the EU and identifying and discussing problems affecting security of gas supply. It has no powers to direct member states or their companies to take any measures, e.g. release gas supplies, in an emergency. The group comprises representatives of member states, gas producers, gas suppliers, gas transporters, gas consumers and electricity generators. The group has no budget.

Local Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets his Department sets for local authorities.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI does not set targets for local authorities.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the outcome of government spending on nanotechnology research in the last five years;
	(2)  how much money the Government plans to spend on nanotechnology in the next five years; and how this funding programme will be structured.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government intend to provide continued funding for nanotechnologies over the next five years. Funding will be directed towards a programme of research to address the potential risks posed by engineered nanoscale materials. Further funding will help industry to maximise the potential benefits of nanotechnologies by contributing to research, knowledge sharing and infrastructure development.
	Decisions on the amounts of funding have yet to be taken. However, the Government's first research report, published in November 2005, and a progress report in October 2006 set out current and proposed work and indicate what further research is needed to address the potential risks posed by engineered nanoscale materials. The new Technology Strategy Board will have responsibility for "science to business" collaborative research and development, and Knowledge Transfer Networks (one of which will build on the work of the Micro and Nano Technology Network). We will also be promoting the substantial funding opportunities within the EU framework programmes which we co-fund with other member states. We are working internationally to ensure that the UK funds research that complements, and does not duplicate, other research around the world.
	The outcomes of nanotechnology research to address the potential risks posed by engineered nanoscale materials are assessed by the relevant Departments and agencies, with coordination by the Nanotechnology Research Co-ordination Group. It is too early to draw conclusions from the outcomes as few projects have been completed.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to increase public engagement in the nanotechnology debate.

Malcolm Wicks: A substantial programme of public engagement on nanotechnologies has been initiated and will be largely completed in summer 2007. The outcomes of this work will be reviewed before decisions are taken on the need for further public engagement.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to commission further work on the regulation of nanotechnology.

Malcolm Wicks: This Department has commissioned an independent regulatory overview to identify any regulatory gaps. The overview report will be published before the end of 2006 and will complement the reviews already carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency and the Health and Safety Executive. The report will inform Government work with those bodies which make or influence regulation, such as the OECD and the EU, and the British and international standard-setting organisations.

Nanotechnology

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if he will set up a strategy group to supervise the implementation of the Government's nanotechnology strategy;
	(2)  what UK Government policy is on nanotechnology; and what resources are available to implement the policy.

Malcolm Wicks: UK Government policy is to work in partnership with industry, civil society groups, the research community, the public and the international community to ensure that nanotechnologies are developed in a way that maximises the benefits to the UK while minimising potential risks throughout the life cycle of nanoscale materials, where possible within an internationally harmonised framework of controls.
	Relevant Government Departments and agencies and research councils co-operate in the implementation of this policy and contribute funding for administrative resources and specific activities. Work to address the potential risks posed by engineered nanoscale materials is coordinated and given strategic direction by the Nanotechnology Issues Dialogue Group, which comprises representatives from those bodies, and supplemented by the Nanotechnology Research Co-ordination Group which sets the agenda for research work in this area. The Council for Science and Technology is currently carrying out an independent review of the Government's delivery of their agenda for the responsible development of nanotechnologies and will report in spring 2007.

Nuclear Power Stations

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has made to the assessment of British Energy that the reactors closed at  (a) Hunterston B and  (b) Hinkley Point B will be safe to operate by the end of January 2007.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 4 December 2006
	British Energy have put in safety submissions for the restart of reactor 3 at Hunterston B. NII is currently assessing these. NII will not allow restart of reactor 3 until a satisfactory safety case for further operation has been made.
	British Energy will need to apply to NII for the restart of reactor 3 at Hinkley Point B following its current periodic outage. If NII is not satisfied with the safety case for return to service of reactor 4 at Hinkley Point B, or reactor 4 at Hunterston B, it would use its regulatory powers. NII will not allow restart of these reactors until a satisfactory safety case for further operation has been made.

Post Offices

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) post offices and  (b) sub-post offices (i) opened and (ii) closed in (A) Somerset and (B) the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Limited (POL) is directly responsible.
	Information is available from the Libraries of the House. I have, however referred the request for information to Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, for a direct and substantive reply to the hon. Member.

Post Offices

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices in  (a) York,  (b) North Yorkshire and  (c) the United Kingdom conduct, on average, less than (i) 10, (ii) 50, (iii) 100, (iv) 200 and (v) 500 transactions a week; and how many conducted over 500 transactions per week.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. Alan Cook, the managing director, has been asked to reply directly to the hon. Member.

Royal Society International Fellowship Scheme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department plans to allocate to the Royal Society international fellowship scheme in each of the next five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The preliminary background work to develop the new international fellowship scheme is currently being undertaken. Decisions about funding allocation will be made as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review and consideration of the scheme proposal, including budgetary issues, in relation to the CSRO7 settlement and other priorities.

Royal Society International Fellowship Scheme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many foreign students he expects to take part in the Royal Society international fellowship scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: The preliminary background work to develop the new scheme is currently being undertaken. This preparatory work will develop detailed implementation plans for the scheme, including parameters for the number of fellows and alumni, taking into account affordability, experience from other similar schemes already in operation in the UK and internationally and drawing on the best practice from these.

Royal Society International Fellowship Scheme

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which areas of science will be covered by the Royal Society international fellowship scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: The preliminary background work to develop the new scheme is currently being undertaken. This preparatory work will develop detailed implementation plans for the scheme taking into account affordability, and experience from other similar schemes already in operation in the UK and internationally and drawing on the best practice from these. The implementation plans will cover proposals for disciplinary coverage of the scheme on which appropriate consultation will take place.

Small Business Energy Bills

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines energy suppliers are required to adhere to on managing small businesses' energy debts.

Malcolm Wicks: There are no guidelines in respect of the business energy sector. Debt arrangements are a contractual matter between the supplier and the customer.

Small Business Energy Bills

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines or codes of practice are in place to protect small businesses from the disconnection of their gas or electricity supply.

Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply. The Energy Retail Association code of practice on disconnection applies only to domestic customers.

Small Business Energy Bills

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will discuss with Ofgem extending the level of regulatory protection given to small businesses in the energy market.

Malcolm Wicks: The approach to regulatory protection in respect of gas and electricity broadly reflects that in general consumer law. It is open to Ofgem to consider whether and how such protection should be extended.

Small Business Energy Bills

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what redress is available to small businesses that have been mis-sold  (a) energy or  (b) fixed-line telecommunications contracts.

Malcolm Wicks: Small businesses that have been unable to resolve complaints with their gas and electricity supplier may seek assistance from the statutory consumer body, Energywatch, as well as seeking redress through the courts. Small businesses that have been mis-sold fixed-line telecommunications contracts have access to alternative dispute resolution schemes, which all telecommunications providers are obliged by the regulator, Ofcom, to be members of, as well as being able to seek redress through the courts.

Small Business Energy Bills

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what protection from the mis-selling of contracts is given to small businesses in the  (a) energy and  (b) fixed-line telecommunications markets.

Malcolm Wicks: As in general consumer law, regulatory protection in relation to mis-selling does not extend to the business market for gas and electricity. The regulation of the fixed-line telecommunications market is the responsibility of Ofcom. All companies selling fixed-line telecoms services are required by Ofcom to draw up mandatory codes of practice consistent with published guidelines and then comply with these. If companies breach these obligations Ofcom's powers now include the ability to secure written undertakings from companies about their sales and marketing practices. Ofcom has taken enforcement action and four investigations are already complete, with fourteen enforcement notices issued to six of the worst offenders. These have secured significant changes to behaviour to ensure consumers' rights are protected, including action to require repayment of monies to affected consumers. Ofcom has also already fined one company the maximum possible 10 per cent. of its turnover.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Trust

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff are working on the recruitment of the Chairman of the BBC Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: As with all public appointments a number of members of staff will be involved in work on the recruitment procedure. One senior official will chair the selection panel which shortlists and interviews candidates and then makes recommendations to Ministers.

BBC Trust

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable is for the recruitment of a Chairman of the BBC Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: We aim to appoint a new chair as soon as possible. While we recognise the need to move swiftly, we must allow time to generate a strong field of candidates and allow for due and proper process. We will advertise the post in the national press soon and hope to appoint a chair in the spring. In the meantime, the current Vice-Chairman, Anthony Salz will be acting chair of the Governors until the end of the year. Chitra Bharucha, who was appointed Vice-Chairman of the BBC Trust on 1 November 2006, is now Acting Chair of the Trust. She will carry out this role until a new chair is appointed, although Governors remain in place until 31 December 2006.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are being treated for gambling addiction

Richard Caborn: The Government does not hold this information centrally.

Licensed Bed and Breakfast

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many bed and breakfast establishments in England and Wales are licensed to serve alcohol.

David Lammy: This information is not held centrally. It may be available from individual licensing authorities.

Licensing Act 2003

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has received the final report on the Licensing Act 2003 by the Independent Fees Review Panel; whether she plans to place it in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: DCMS received the final report of the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel on 12 December 2006. The Panel's conclusions and recommendations about the fees regime are being considered. Copies of the report will be placed in the Libraries of the House shortly.

Licensing Laws

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has had any discussions with local authorities on the effect of the Licensing Act (2003) on public performances of  (a) religious carols and  (b) secular Christmas songs; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Ministers have not had any discussions with local authorities on the effect of the Licensing Act 2003 on carols or Christmas songs. However, officials have shared previous advice they have given on this issue with the local authorities coordinators of regulatory services (LACORS) and this has been disseminated by LACORS and is available on the DCMS website. Most singing of carols and Christmas songs is either spontaneous, incidental to other activities or part of a religious service and therefore not usually licensable.
	Licensing requirements depend on the type of event at which songs are being performed and not whether the songs themselves are religious or secular. For example, secular songs being performed as part of a religious service would not make that service licensable. Conversely, a rock band choosing to play a religious carol as part of its set would not make a rock concert an exempt religious service. It is not possible to describe every scenario, which is why it is ultimately for licensing authorities to determine what requires a licence and what does not.

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department holds responsibility for the final decision on the level of contingency to be included in the revised Olympic budget once it is agreed.

Tessa Jowell: The final decision on the level of contingency to be included in the revised Olympic budget is a matter for the Government.

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 809W, on the London Olympics, how much her Department  (a) spent in 2005-06 and  (b) expects to spend in 2006-07 on the salaries of the eight individuals working on the 2012 Olympics who do not fall into the Department's pay band structure.

Tessa Jowell: Of the eight agency employees referred to in my answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 809W, on the London Olympics, three were employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport during 2005-06. One of these was paid £2,000. The other two were legal advisers (civil servants) on loan from the Treasury Solicitor's Department paid within the following bands.
	
		
			   Number of staff (FTE)  Pay band minimum (£)  Pay band maximum (£) 
			 SCS pay band 1 l 55,000 116,000 
			 A(U) 1 57,000 68,199 
		
	
	In 2006-07 the three agency employees including the two legal advisers continued to work on the Olympics for DCMS. Excluding the two legal advisers the cost of the remaining six agency employees is expected to be around £650,000 in 2006-07.

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 99W, on 2012 Olympics, what estimates KPMG gave as part of its advice for the costs of  (a) the Olympic Stadium,  (b) other sports facilities,  (c) the Olympic village,  (d) press and media facilities,  (e) Games work force,  (f) information systems,  (g) telecommunications and other technologies,  (h) internet,  (i) ceremonies and culture,  (j) medical services,  (k) catering,  (l) transport,  (m) security,  (n) the Paralympic Games,  (o) advertising and promotion,  (p) administration,  (q) pre-Olympic events and co-ordination,  (r) other miscellaneous costs and  (s) contingency.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to my statement on costs to the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport on 21 November 2006 [Q30].

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Government Department or agency holds overall responsibility for meeting cost overruns in the delivery of the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: My Department is responsible for co-ordinating the funding arrangements but the issue of how cost increases are to be funded is one for the Government as a whole.

London Olympics

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Ministers in her Department have met the new owners of West Ham United to discuss the post-games use of the Olympic Stadium; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 5 December 2006
	I met Eggert Magnusson, the new chairman of West Ham, on 29 November to discuss the post-Games use of the Olympic Stadium. The meeting was also attended by Ken Livingstone, Sir Roy McNulty, acting chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), David Higgins, chief executive of the ODA and Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
	During the discussion, I underlined our commitment to the International Olympic Committee that the Olympic Stadium would have an athletics legacy, and that football would have to work alongside this. I also stressed that the timetable for decisions was very tight, with the final decision to be taken by the Olympic Board early in the new year.
	It was agreed that West Ham would reflect on the discussion and decide how it wished to proceed.

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision her Department made for a contingency reserve for the Olympic Games within the figures specified in London's 2012 Candidate File for  (a) the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and (b) Sports Facilities and the International Press Centre.

Tessa Jowell: Details of the contingency for  (a) the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games are shown at table 6.6.1 on page 103 of the Candidate File. For each of the main venue construction projects, including sports facilities and the international press centre, there is an allowance in the bid figures for 23.5 per cent. for contingencies and preliminaries.

National Lottery

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average time was to deliver lottery funds from the time of receipt of application in the last period for which figures are available.

Richard Caborn: Performance is not reported in this way by lottery distributors. When an application is successful, the lottery grant awarded may be paid, for example, when the grantee decides to make a claim, or when key stages of a project are completed and the lottery contribution becomes payable. Grants are often paid out in instalments over an extended period. This is particularly true of large capital projects.
	Information about individual applications and payments is not held by my Department and could be aggregated only at disproportionate cost.

Responsibility in Gambling Trust

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with  (a) the Responsibility in Gambling Trust and  (b) members of the gambling industry on the industry's performance in providing the level of resources recommended by the Budd Report to fund the Trust's work; when these discussions took place; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Ministers and officials have discussed this issue with both the Trust and industry representatives on a number of occasions.
	We have set the industry a target of raising £3 million each year, for problem gambling treatment, education and public awareness and research, once the Gambling Act 2005 is fully implemented (from September 2007). The Act has powers to impose a statutory levy, if it is considered necessary.

Security: Football Grounds

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the Football Licensing Authority's seminar on the possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used at major sporting venues was dedicated to potential  (a) atomic,  (b) biological and  (c) chemical incidents.

Richard Caborn: The only seminar of this type was an awareness day on CBRN terrorist attack, organised by Stoke City football club, with inputs from the local authority, emergency services and the FLA, in July 2004. This included a scenario of a gas attack inside the ground. Counter-terrorism protective security advice is a matter for the Home Office and the police.

Sponsored Bodies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was incurred by her Department in reassessing pensions liabilities under FRS17, as referred to on page 60 of the departmental annual report for Sponsored Bodies.

David Lammy: My Department has incurred no direct costs in reassessing pensions liabilities under FRS17. DCMS Sponsored Bodies with pension schemes requiring a reassessment of the parent bodies' liabilities to meet the new disclosure requirements have met the marginal cost of additional accounting and actuarial advice from within current resource allocations.

Talented Athletes

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to date has been of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme.

Richard Caborn: The Department has confirmed £17 million in funding for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, including TASS 2012, to cover the period 2004-05 to 2007-08.

TV Licences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were convicted of not having a valid television licence in each London constituency in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: holding answer 7 December 2006
	Robust data are not available because of differences in recording practices by the courts.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Whaling

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take in response to the decision by Iceland to resume commercial whaling.

Ben Bradshaw: I called in the Icelandic ambassador on 26 October. Our ambassador in Reykjavik led a multi-national diplomatic protest of 25 countries together with the European Commission on 1 November. I supported a declaration strongly critical of Iceland at a recent meeting of EU Environment Ministers.

Biomass

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of biomass to the UK's energy needs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: UK biomass has the potential to supply 6 per cent. of our electricity needs by 2020. Demand for biomass heat could be about 6 per cent. of heat needs by the same date. With current technologies, UK agriculture could also provide crops to meet 5 per cent. of road fuel demand by 2010.

European Parliament

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the environmental impact of the sittings of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg.

Ian Pearson: No, but given the reality of climate change, it is clearly important that EU institutions should provide a lead on environmentally sustainable behaviour. In this country, we have already set ourselves serious sustainability targets to achieve greener Government.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for local authorities to facilitate the reduction of carbon emissions in the communities they represent.

Ian Pearson: Local authorities have a critical role in achieving our climate change objectives. The 2006 UK Climate Change Programme includes measures to help local authorities deliver cuts in emissions.

Organic Food

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of organic food growers and suppliers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department ensures effective regulation of producers of organic agricultural produce through the work of the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards and in particular its Certification Committee.

Climate Change

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on tackling climate change.

David Miliband: I had extensive discussions with my European counterparts at the UN Climate Change Conference in Nairobi in November.
	Although progress was made, we need to move forward with greater urgency and EU environment ministers will be meeting on 18 December to set out the way forward for 2007.

Climate Change

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on food production in England.

Ian Pearson: The Government continue to make considerable investment in research on climate change and agriculture to help both policy makers and industry plan for the uncertainties ahead. A recent review, summarising all the recent research on impacts and adaptation in agriculture is available on the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/documents/publications/Defra_CC03_review_030705_JPGamended_jrp%20FINAL.pdf.
	Overall, the research suggests that climate change impacts do not appear to threaten the viability of the agriculture industry as a whole in the UK due to the adaptability of UK systems. However, individual agricultural businesses and land managers will need to be alive to the need for adaptation. There may also be opportunities to grow new crops. We do not have a single assessment of the overall effects on UK food production, as this is influenced not only by the regionalised impacts of climate change, but the reaction of individual businesses to climate change, and their reaction to market changes and other policy levers.

In-vessel Composting

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring his Department undertakes on the effect on local communities of in-vessel composting sites; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Composting is a vital component of sustainable waste management.
	It is licensed and regulated by the Environment Agency under a waste management licence—or an exemption from the need for a licence.

Environmental Taxation

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on environmental taxation.

David Miliband: I have discussed environmental taxation, and a range of other subjects, in various meetings with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

EU Emissions Trading

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the EU emissions trading scheme.

Ian Pearson: In the UK, the first year of operation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme has been very successful, with near universal compliance. Phase I in the UK is set to deliver savings of 65 million tons of CO2 from business as usual.

Microgeneration

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed with ministerial colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry the implementation of that Department's policy in support of microgeneration.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State regularly meets his Cabinet colleague at the Department for Trade and Industry to discuss policies, such as microgeneration, where DTI and DEFRA both have a key role to play in their successful delivery.

Flood Defences

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to increase funding for sea and flood defence.

Ian Pearson: Government funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management has gone up by 35 per cent. in real terms since 1996-97. Future funding needs will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the recent guidelines from his Department on transporting greyhounds were issued on British Greyhound Racing Board paper.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has not produced any guidance specific to greyhounds. However, the Department has issued guidance on compliance with new EU rules on the welfare of animals during transport, which come into effect in January 2007. This guidance does not include specific advice on the transport of greyhounds as the EU Regulation sets only general requirements for these animals.
	The British Greyhound Racing Board have produced separate guidance for their members on compliance with the new rules, which includes detailed technical requirements that are not specified in the regulation.

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the possible implications for  (a) animal welfare standards and  (b) farmers' competitiveness of differences in the four devolved areas of the United Kingdom between rural development programme schemes in respect of animal welfare promotional measures.

Ben Bradshaw: Improvements in animal welfare standards and farmers' competitiveness can be achieved through a variety of means. There will be separate Rural Development Programmes for each part of the UK for the new programming period, 2007-13. The detail of these programmes will reflect the assessment made of the priorities and needs for each respective part of the UK.

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the livestock indicators relating to animal welfare launched by his Department on 24 November are intended to allow progress in each devolved area of the United Kingdom to be measured  (a) separately and  (b) on a United Kingdom-wide basis.

Ben Bradshaw: These livestock indicators have been introduced to show progress towards the delivery of the "Animal Welfare Strategy for Great Britain" in England. They are being developed by DEFRA in consultation with the England Implementation Group, the independent advisory body overseeing delivery of the strategy in England.

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy takes account of the delay in implementing the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013 announced on 1 November.

Ben Bradshaw: The draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy does not contain specific actions, resource commitments or funding mechanisms. These will be considered in an action plan, to be developed with stakeholders and published separately.

Bovine TB

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to make to tackle bovine TB in  (a) England and  (b) Shropshire.

Ben Bradshaw: We already have in place a series of measures designed to reduce the geographic spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England and to achieve a sustained reduction in high incidence areas, including Shropshire. Our plan is to continue to work in partnership with interested parties to embed and monitor these measures, some of which have only been in operation for a matter of months. Examples of this include pre-movement testing phase one and the more extensive use of the gamma interferon blood test.
	We are committed to introducing the second phase of pre-movement testing in March 2007. This will extend the policy to younger animals, and continue to fund a wide-ranging bTB research programme, using the emerging evidence to inform our policies. We will also work with our industry partners to further raise awareness of the crucial role farmers have to play in controlling bTB by complying with statutory policies, applying disease prevention measures and good husbandry practices. We are also considering the evidence and practicalities of adding badger culling to these tools for preventing bTB in cattle.

Christmas: Recycling

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas trees which were recycled in each of the last three years; and whether his Department provides support to local authorities for the recycling of Christmas trees;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas cards that were recycled in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of Christmas cards that were recycled in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA has not made an estimate of the number of Christmas trees which were recycled in the last three years. I am aware that some local authorities (LAs) have in the past reported the number of Christmas trees they recycle to the environmental charity EnCams. Figures for 2002 show that nearly 2 million trees were recycled by the LAs which provided returns in England and Wales.
	While DEFRA does not provide specific support to LAs for the recycling of Christmas trees, we have provided significant additional funding to increase the proportion of waste that they recycle through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) spending block. This includes waste management services, Private Finance Initiative funding for waste, the Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund and the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant.
	Waste Watch recently estimated that up to 1 billion Christmas cards could end up in rubbish bins across the UK rather than being recycled. We would expect those authorities which carry out collection and recycling of waste paper to recycle Christmas cards with the rest of the waste paper they collect.
	In addition, the Woodland Trust runs an annual Christmas card recycling scheme with Recycle Now. Their 2005 scheme recycled more than 58 million cards, collecting the equivalent of at least one card for every person in Britain. The trust has set a 2007 target to recycle 90 million Christmas and new year cards. More information on this year's scheme can be found on the Woodland Trust's website at:
	http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/cards/.

Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of implementing each of the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005;
	(2)  what powers there are for local authorities to raise funds to implement the provisions of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 133W.

Contractors

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contractors based in  (a) EU member states and  (b) other states provided services to his Department and each executive agency since 31 August 2005; and what the (i) nature and (ii) cost of this work was in each case.

Barry Gardiner: The Department expects to award all contracts in line with the objective of achieving value for money and in line with EU Treaty obligations on transparency and free movement of goods and services. The Treaty, and the public procurement rules, prohibit discrimination on the grounds of nationality. Accordingly the Department does not hold a central database of non-UK suppliers. Requests for information on individual contractors can be answered on a case-by-case basis.

DHL

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Barry Gardiner: The Department came into being in July 2001. From information held centrally, the sums paid to DHL by the core Department are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Value (£) 
			 2002-03 2,718.71 
			 2003-04 399.31 
			 2005-06 15.62

Food Labelling

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria were taken into account when setting the requirement to label food containing 0.9 per cent. genetically modified ingredients.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Commission regulation on genetically modified food and feed (1829/2003) provides a 0.9 per cent. threshold for the adventitious presence of authorised genetically modified organisms in food and feed. Food and feed does not need to be labelled as 'GM' providing that the GM presence is below 0.9 per cent. and is accidental. The capability of the food and feed supply chain in being able to work to this threshold was taken into account in agreeing this level, in addition to the ability of laboratories to accurately analyse the presence of GM material.

Food Labelling

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the UK has sent data to the EC regarding monitoring of food and feed in connection with non-compliance on the GMO labelling requirements introduced under EC Regulation 1829/2003 for the years 2004 and 2005.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	No data have been sent to the European Commission regarding monitoring of food and feed in connection with non-compliance on the GMO labelling requirements introduced under EC Regulation 1829/2003 for the years 2004 and 2005. The regulation does not require such data to be routinely submitted to the commission.

Organic Status

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations govern the production of organic food; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The production and control standards for organic food are set out in Council Regulation 2092/91. These standards apply both to production within the European Union and to imports from third countries. Additional standards, applying to organic production in the UK, are set out in the Compendium of UK Organic Standards which is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/FARM/organic/standards/pdf/compendium.pdf.
	A revision of EU organic regulation is currently under discussion.

Single Payment Scheme

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many individuals at the Rural Payments Agency are involved in the administration of the Single Payment Scheme, in terms of  (a) headcount and  (b) whole-time-equivalent.

Barry Gardiner: Current numbers of full-time equivalents working on SPS processing are approximately 2,043. Headcount data is not maintained.

Softwood

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction of forecast volume of available supplies of UK sourced softwood on  (a) the wood panel industry and  (b) other biomass-using industry; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: I have not made any assessment. The recent UK softwood availability forecast, published by the Forestry Commission, provides improved and more up-to-date supply information than was previously available. This should enable any detailed industry appraisals that need to take into account the potential supply of UK softwood to be better informed.

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

Barry Gardiner: Four officials contribute to the administrative support of departmental special advisers. To respect the privacy of these officials, it is not possible to disclose details of their salaries.

Species Recovery Programme

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of Natural England's budget has been allocated to the Species Recovery Programme; and how much English Nature allocated to the programme in 2005.

Barry Gardiner: I am informed by Natural England that the budget allocated to the species recovery work in this financial year is £1.1 million. Further benefits to species will accrue through other Natural England spending, particularly via agri-environment schemes, work on SSSIs and National Nature Reserves. The budget allocated to the Species Recovery Programme by English Nature in 2005-06 was £1.3 million.

Species Recovery Programme

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the budget allocated to the Species Recovery Programme will be sufficient to ensure the continued funding of programmes to reverse the decline in numbers of England's animals, plants and fungi.

Barry Gardiner: I have been working closely with Natural England to provide a steer on our key Departmental priorities, which include our commitment to halt the loss of England's biodiversity by 2010. It is the responsibility of Natural England's Board to ensure that the organisation fulfils the aims and objectives set by my Department, including determining how best to deploy its available resources. I am confident that the grant in aid settlement which I will shortly be announcing for Natural England, should allow it to deliver its Species Recovery Programme.

Thermal Depolymerization

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the use of thermal depolymerization as a mechanism for  (a) generating fuel and  (b) disposing of waste; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: No assessment of thermal depolymerization has been made by this Department as a mechanism for generating fuel or disposing of waste.

Timber

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what measures he proposes  (a) to improve and  (b) to tighten enforcement of checks on imports of illegally harvested timber; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what measures he has put in place to stop the importation of illegal timber.

Barry Gardiner: There are limited legislative controls in this area at present, although UK Customs have seized wood and wood products protected under CITES legislation.
	We are taking further action to tackle imports of illegally logged timber through our implementation of the Forestry Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation. This was formally adopted by the European Union in December 2005, during our Presidency. The Regulation allows the EU to establish legally binding Voluntary Partnership Agreements with timber producing countries. These will include licensing systems to identify legal products, and control their export to the EU. Customs officers will be given powers to prevent access to unlicensed products from partner countries.

Waste Management

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the contribution to waste streams of shelf-ready packaging; and what discussions he has had with retailers about shelf-ready packaging.

Ben Bradshaw: We have not made any formal assessment of the contribution to waste streams of shelf-ready packaging. Potentially, it could help to reduce external in-transit packaging. But it could also affect the type or amount of materials used to package individual products.
	We are continuing to engage with retailers and the food industry to reduce the amount of food and packaging waste which is being generated—by the industry itself, as well as consumers. For example, DEFRA's Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS), published in April this year, challenges the food manufacturing sector to reduce its own waste by 15-20 per cent. by 2010.
	13 major grocery retailers (representing 92 per cent. of the UK grocery sector) are also supporting the "Courtauld Commitment". This means that they have agreed to work with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in order to: design out packaging waste growth by 2008; deliver absolute reductions in packaging waste by March 2010; and identify ways to tackle the problem of food waste.
	WRAP works closely with the major supermarket chains to achieve the necessary behavioural changes. Three roundtable meetings have taken place to discuss food waste, putting recycling information on package labelling, and the issues and opportunities associated with biodegradable packaging. Through an Innovation Fund, WRAP also provides technical and financial support to retailers and suppliers. This is helping to identify ways of reducing the weight of primary packaging and the cost of production and transportation—mainly through research and development and innovative packaging design.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid by the UK Government to Afghan  (a) provincial governors,  (b) police chiefs and  (c) other officials in each of the last four years; and what the purpose was of the payments.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The wages of Afghanistan's provincial governors and Government officials are paid by the Afghan Government (GoA) from its core budget. The GoA's core budget is part-funded by the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) established in 2002 to provide for the recurrent costs of Government. The UK is the largest contributor to the ARTF, committing £355 million between 2002 and 2009; £235 million of that commitment has been disbursed. The UK also contributes funds to the GoA through a number of ongoing projects aimed at building capacity in the Afghan Government.
	Police chiefs salaries are covered by the Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA) established in 2002 at the request of the Afghan Government and the UN and administered by the UN Development Programme. The UK remains a major contributor to LOTFA both through the European Commission, whose annual contribution to the fund since 2002 has been around €30 million, and bilaterally, contributing £1.5 million in financial year 2006-07.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial year 2005-06 the Defence Aviation Repair Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent in each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: DARA spent £6.63 million on civilian pay at its Almondbank site in Perthshire during the financial year 2005-06. The figure represents 9.19 per cent. of DARA's total personnel budget during the same period. For the financial period 2004-05 the costs were £6.48 million, representing 7.91 per cent. of DARA's total personnel costs during that financial reporting period. These figures are only the pay, allowance and overtime costs and exclude agency staff.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Naval Manning Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are expected to be in 2006-07; and what they were in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The Naval Manning Agency (NMA) formally ceased to be a Defence Agency on 1 April 2005. There are therefore no details of employees/personnel costs relating to NMA for 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the Defence Analytical Services Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: None of the personnel budget for the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) was spent in Scotland in either 2004-05 or 2005-06. No DASA personnel are based in Scotland.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In the financial year 2004-05, the Defence Medical and Training Agency (DMETA) did not spend any of its budget in Scotland. In the financial year 2005-06, some £129,000 was spent by DMETA on the placement of a service doctor with a Scottish hospital. This represented some 1.5 per cent. of the agency's total personnel budget.
	DMETA does not own any training or other units in Scotland, although it places Defence Medical Services personnel in Scottish hospitals from time to time.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the British Forces Post Office spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The figures requested are as follows:
	
		
			  BFPO personnel budget 
			   (£)  Percentage 
			 2004-05 137,510 0.01 
			 2005-06 140,900 0.01 
			  Note: These figures do not include travel and subsistence costs. 
		
	
	The BFPO headquarters occupies its current location for logistical reasons, basing itself near the Ml and M25 and close to both Heathrow airport and RAF Brize Norton, which provide the excellent communication necessary to support BFPO in its role.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial year 2005-06 the Veterans Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In 2005-06 the Veterans Agency spent £22.03 million on personnel costs, of which £0.5 million was spent in Scotland. This represents 2.27 per cent. of the total personnel budget.
	In 2004-05 the Veterans Agency spent £19.184 million on personnel costs, of which £0.47 million was spent in Scotland. This represents 2.45 per cent. of the total personnel budget.

Annual Reports: Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of  (a) producing,  (b) publishing and  (c) distributing the annual report of each trading fund of the (i) Army Base Repair Organisation, (ii) Defence Aviation Repair Agency, (iii) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (iv) Meterological Office and (v) UK Hydrographic Office was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Those costs that can be identified as specifically attributable to the production, publication and distribution of Trading Fund Annual Reports are shown in the following table. These figures exclude the costs of activities carried out by Trading Fund employees in relation to the drafting and compilation of Annual Reports as such costs are not accounted for separately from their other responsibilities.
	
		
			  Trading funds' costs for producing, publishing and distributing their 2005-06 annual reports and accounts (all costs exclude VAT) 
			  Trading fund  Production  Publication  Distribution 
			 ABRO (1) 0 10,155 3,047 
			 DARA (1) 16,537 6,787 (2)— 
			 Dstl (1) 13,144 (3)— (4)0 
			 Met Office 11,760 10,594 3,500 
			 UKHO (production and printing carried out in-house) 1,970 130 100 
			 (1) External costs only (2) Included as part of publication costs (3) Included within production costs (4) Distributed via electronic means

Armed Forces: Casualty Reporting

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the standard operating procedure is for casualty reporting for the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The operating procedures for casualty reporting are contained in the Joint Service Publication 751 "Joint Casualty and Compassionate Policy and Procedures", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Casualty Reporting

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to improve UK military casualty reporting since the commencement of operations in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: The MOD is committed to openly publishing casualty statistics on the number of service personnel killed and wounded on operations. Information on casualties sustained since January 2006 in Afghanistan is available on our website:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets
	Since 28 October 2006 we have been able to provide data on the personnel admitted to medical facilities as a result of disease, as well as for non-battle injury. This additional reporting has been brought about by improvements in tracking of this category of personnel, and brings the reporting of statistics for casualties in Afghanistan into line with reporting for casualties in Iraq.
	Furthermore, since 28 October 2006 improvements in the way the data are recorded in theatre, and collated and analysed back in the UK have made it possible for updates to be provided every two weeks (two weeks in arrears), rather than monthly (one month in arrears).
	Historic data on casualties which occurred in Afghanistan before 1 January 2006 have now been collated and are currently being reconciled. I will write to the hon Member when this exercise has been completed.

Armed Forces Recruitment

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals have been recruited into the armed forces in 2006.

Derek Twigg: Between 1 January 2006 and 30 September 2006, intake from Civilian Life to the UK Regular Forces was 15,850(1). This information can be found at www.dasa.mod.uk
	(1) Due to the introduction of a new personnel administration system for RAF, all RAF data from 1 May 2006 are provisional and subject to review.

Bevin Boys

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 356W, on the Bevin Boys, which ministerial colleagues he is consulting; and when he expects to make an announcement.

Derek Twigg: To date, consultation on the possibility of some form of further recognition for the conscripted coal miners has involved the Department of Trade and Industry, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office. The outcome of these deliberations will be announced in due course.

Chaplaincy Staff

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many publicly funded full-time equivalent chaplaincy staff there were on average in 2005-06; what the cost was of such chaplaincy staff in 2005-06; what estimate he has made of the cost in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and whether he has assessed the merits of providing equivalent pastoral support for those who are not religious and who may not wish to receive such support from a religious chaplain.

Derek Twigg: The last available figures are as at 1 October 2005 and these show a total of 313 publicly funded full-time chaplaincy staff. The cost, based on capitation rates is £295,000.
	The cost for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are expected to remain the same except for any adjustments in inflation.
	The chaplain provides "an all souls ministry" and as such provides spiritual, moral and pastoral care for all religions and none. The chaplain is an integral part of the unit or headquarters in which they serve. The majority of pastoral work is not denominational or religious. Other support organisations are also available to all personnel in the form of Welfare Services, a Confidential Support Line and the Womens Royal Voluntary Service.

Defence Sixth Form College, Leicestershire

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much public money has been given to Minerva for the  (a) construction and  (b) operation of services at the Defence Sixth Form College in Leicestershire.

Derek Twigg: Payments commenced in July 2004 and the total paid to date (30 November 2006) amounts to £14.085 million, including VAT. The payment does not differentiate between construction and service costs.

Defence Training Contracts

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure that there is an in-house bid for any defence training contract which is outsourced.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence already gives serious consideration to in-house bids for potential outsourcing contracts, and a judgement is made on a case-by-case basis.

Departmental Pay

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the effective pay award date is for his Department's staff; and what the actual implementation date was in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The effective pay award date for the main body of civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence is 1 August.
	Pay implementation dates for civilian staff in each of the last five years are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Date 
			 2002 1 October 2002 
			 2003 1 August 2003 
			 2004 1 August 2004 
			 2005 1 August 2005 
			 2006 (1)— 
			 (1) Not yet implemented.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics annual report and accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051
	Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
	The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Double-cross Agents

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors led his officials to believe that file WO208/3548, referred to in his answer of 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1453W, contains details of double-cross agents.

Derek Twigg: One official recalls examining a file covering so called 'double-cross agents' that he believes was WO208/3548 approximately five years ago.

Faslane

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of work were required to complete the recent revalidation assisted maintenance periods at Faslane naval base on  (a) HMS Vigilant,  (b) HMS Vengeance and  (c) HMS Sceptre.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the man-hours of work to complete the recent Revalidation Assisted Maintenance Periods (RAMPs) for HMS Vigilant, HMS Vengeance and HMS Sceptre:
	
		
			  RAMP  Man-hours  Period (weeks) 
			 HMS Vigilant 116,000 40 
			 HMS Vengeance 71,000 26 
			 HMS Sceptre 97,500 40 
		
	
	The figures include work carried out by both MOD staff and staff employed by Babcock Naval Services, who carried out the RAMPS on behalf of the Department, but does not include the time worked by subcontractors as this information is not held.

Faslane

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the total working hours of all civilian personnel employed at  (a) Faslane naval base and  (b) RNAD Coulport is spent on work (i) exclusively related to Trident, (ii) unrelated to Trident and (iii) partly related to Trident.

Adam Ingram: Faslane and Coulport form part of HM Naval Base Clyde, which carries out all the normal functions of a naval base. The requested information is not centrally held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, but it is estimated that around 60 per cent. of the total working hours of civilian personnel employed at the naval base is spent on Trident-related work.

Firefighters

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many senior aircraftsmen firefighters have left the Royal Air Force in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many senior aircraftsmen firefighters have applied for early release from the terms of their employment with the Royal Air Force.

Derek Twigg: The total number of senior aircraftsman (SAC) firefighters who left the RAF in each financial year since 1997-98 is shown in the following table. This includes those leaving on time expiry, voluntary outflow and other wastage.
	
		
			   SAC firefighter outflows 
			 1997-98 90 
			 1998-99 100 
			 1999-2000 30 
			 2000-01 70 
			 2001-02 40 
			 2002-03 60 
			 2003-04 30 
			 2004-05 40 
			 2005-06 60 
			 2006-07 to end September (1)30 
			 (1 )Denotes provisional. Due to the introduction of a new Personnel Administration System for RAF, all RAF data from 1 May 2006 are provisional and subject to review  Notes Data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	The number of senior aircraftsman fire-fighters who have applied for voluntary outflow in each financial year since 1997-98 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Voluntary outflow applications 
			 1997-98 40 
			 1998-99 30 
			 1999-2000 40 
			 2000-01 40 
			 2001-02 70 
			 2002-03 40 
			 2003-04 40 
			 2004-05 50 
			 2005-06 50 
			  Notes 1. Data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. 2. Due to the roll out of the new Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system to the RAF in March 2006, voluntary applications data for 2006-07 to date are not currently available.

Household Cavalry

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what breeds of horses are used by the Household Cavalry.

Derek Twigg: The horses used by the Household Cavalry are principally Irish Draught cross thorough breeds. Drum horses are either Clydesdale or Shire.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incidents of British service personnel coming under attack on the Shatt al-Arab waterway took place before the 12 November bombing; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Centrally held records show that between 15 June 2003 and 23 November 2006 there have been 16 attacks on British forces transiting the Shatt al-Arab waterway.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department makes of the mental welfare needs of personnel on discharge from the armed forces; and what steps are taken to follow up those identified as vulnerable.

Derek Twigg: The number of medical discharges from the UK armed forces due to psychological illness is low. Of the over 200,000 regular service personnel less than 0.1 per cent. are discharged annually for mental health reasons, whatever the cause. Of these, only 20-25 meet the criteria to be diagnosed with PTSD.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) employs specialist mental health social workers (MHSW), who assist personnel who are medically discharged from the service on the basis of a mental illness. The aim of this service is to liaise with the relevant external agencies (Government and non-governmental), and (along with resettlement agencies) provide the patient with a seamless transfer into civilian life. The MOD's MHSW routinely liaise with health and social services; housing agencies; the Department of Work and Pensions; Combat Stress; Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA); The Royal British Legion; the Service Benevolent Funds; Regimental Associations; and other relevant charitable organisations.
	For veterans, healthcare is primarily the responsibility of the NHS. The Veterans Agency Welfare Service also provides practical assistance to veterans in need of support, focussed on those with mental or physical illness or injury suffered as a result of military service for which a compensatory pension is in payment. Following recommendations on mental health services for veterans in 2005 by the independent Health and Social Care Advisory Service, officials from the MOD, the UK Health departments and Combat Stress have been working together to develop and implement a new community-based model for mental health services for veterans. It is hoped that, beginning in the spring of 2007, the model will be piloted at sites across the UK. The pilots are likely to last two years and, if successful, will be rolled out nationally.

Military Vehicles

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many qualified minibus drivers there were in HM forces in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what the requirement is for the number of minibus drivers in HM forces; and how many there are;
	(3)  what the projected cost is of training to fill the shortfall in minibus drivers for the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The MOD has not set an overall requirement for a specified number of minibus drivers, and the number serving at any time will fluctuate dependent on individual and unit requirements. The actual number of drivers with minibus licences is not centrally recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The MOD is, however, not aware of a shortfall in minibus drivers.

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has not appointed any former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997 to its Public Bodies.

Reserves Mental Health Programme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 28WS, on the Reserves Mental Health Programme, what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on ensuring that general practitioners are made aware of the mental health treatment made available to reservists.

Derek Twigg: The Department of Health was involved from an early stage in our plans for the new programme. We provided guidance to the Department of Health and other UK health authorities for wider dissemination to GPs, who were also informed via direct email distribution. Guidance for patients and health professionals isalso available by visiting http://www.army.mod.uk/rtmc/rmhp.htm or by contacting free phone number 0800 0326258.

RNAD Coulport

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any part of RNAD Coulport has been subject to radioactive contamination to a level that would preclude its use by civil industry.

Derek Twigg: There have been no incidences of radioactive contamination that would preclude any part of the Coulport site being used by civil industry.

Service Pay

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the average pay for an army sergeant in  (a) France,  (b) the United States and  (c) Germany; and what the average pay is for a sergeant in the British Army.

Derek Twigg: Minimum and maximum rates of gross basic pay for Army sergeants in the nations specified, based on current exchange rates, are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 France 10,145-15,965 
			 United States 11,058-18,281 
			 Germany 14,025-15,466 
			 United Kingdom 26,751-32,916 
		
	
	These rates are for basic pay only ie pay for the rank. A British Army sergeant equates to rank level 5 and 6 in NATO terms. The rates of pay shown therefore, broadly correspond to this NATO ranking.

Service Personnel

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 812W, on service personnel (honours), what his Department's policy is on the publication in national newspapers of the names of British servicemen and women who have been honoured for operational service by the United States Administration.

Derek Twigg: Awards bestowed on British Servicemen by the United States and other foreign governments are published in the London Gazette following receipt of The Sovereign's permission to wear such awards. National newspapers may then re-publish these awards. As a matter of policy the Department does not pay for the insertion of the names of recipients of either British or foreign awards in the media other than in the London Gazette.

Service Personnel

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service people have been injured in operations in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan so as to require second-line medical attention since the commencement of those operations.

Derek Twigg: In answering this question I have taken 'second-line medical attention' to mean treatment in field hospitals in theatre.
	The Ministry of Defence publishes data on battle and non-battle casualties that have resulted from our operations in Iraq from March 2003 and Afghanistan from 1 January 2006. The best centrally available casualty statistics can be found on the Ministry of Defence website
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets
	Work is ongoing to ascertain whether casualty data for Afghanistan pre-2006 is sufficiently robust to enable figures to be published in the same format as for Iraq.
	 Iraq
	The method of reporting for Iraq was changed at the end of 2005 so figures are quoted separately for before and after 1 January 2006:
	Between March 2003 and 31 December 2005, 6,609 UK military and civilian personnel were treated at the Shaibah "Role 3" Field Hospital.
	Between 1 January 2006 and 15 November 2006, 64 UK military or civilian personnel were admitted to the Shaibah Role 3 Facility in Iraq categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action. A further 1,089 UK military or civilian personnel were admitted to the Shaibah Role 3 Facility for Disease or Non-Battle Injuries.
	 Afghanistan
	Between 1 January 2006 and 15 November 2006, 75 UK military or civilian personnel were admitted to UK or coalition medical facilities in Afghanistan categorised as Wounded in Action, including as a result of hostile action.
	The method of reporting admittance to field hospitals in Afghanistan was changed at the end of October 2006, to bring it in line with reporting for Iraq. From 28 October 2006 figures for admittance for non-battle injuries also include disease whereas beforehand they only included non-battle injuries.
	Between 1 January 2006 and 27 October 2006, 63 UK military and civilian Personnel were admitted to UK and Coalition medical facilities for non-battle injuries.
	Between 28 October 2006 and 15 November 2006, 46 UK military and civilian Personnel were admitted to UK and Coalition medical facilities for disease or non-battle injuries.

Territorial Army

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the target establishment number is, under the new structure for the Territorial Army, for each  (a) category and  (b) sub-category referred to in the answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 782W.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 7 December 2006
	The new target establishments determined under the Future Army Structure are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Arms and service directorate  Total liability  Total officer liability  Total soldier liability 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 1,456 204 1,252 
			 Royal Artillery 2,212 234 1,978 
			 Royal Engineers 4,139 323 3,816 
			 Royal Signals 4,470 401 4,069 
			 Infantry 6,030 394 5,636 
			 Small Arms School Corps 0 0 0 
			 Army Air Corps 519 45 474 
			 Royal Logistic Corps 7,472 583 6,889 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 3,215 1,128 2,087 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 145 53 92 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 14 14 0 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army 1,401 669 732 
			 Nursing Corps — — — 
			 Adjutant General Corps (Provost) 642 51 591 
			 Adjutant General Corps (staff and personnel support) 898 61 837 
			 Adjutant General Corps (education training services) 53 53 0 
			 Adjutant General Corps (army legal services) 12 12 0 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 3,163 146 3,017 
			 Intelligence Corps 641 123 518 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 9 0 9 
			 Royal Army Chaplain's Department 109 109 0 
			 E2 Appointments (shown previously as staff/general list/general service corps) 1,365 883 482 
			 All Arms/Corps sub total 37,965 5,486 32,479 
			 Unallocated 261 n/k n/k 
			 Officer Training Corps 3,500 n/k n/k 
			 All Arm/Corps total 41,726 n/k n/k 
		
	
	A breakdown of these new targets by gender cannot be provided as liability reflects the number of soldiers/officers required for a particular arm or service directorate. Individual arms' and service directorates' liabilities may vary in the future as the establishment endorsement process continues. The overall total will, however, remain unchanged.

UK Nuclear Weapons Capability

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to assess  (a) the view of the public on UK nuclear weapons and  (b) whether the public supports his position that maintaining nuclear weapons is in the best interests of the UK's future security.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 569 to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn).

Vanguard Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken to reduce the life of Vanguard submarines to 25 years from the 30 years prescribed in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: No such decision has been taken. The original requirement for the Vanguard class submarines was for a life of at least 25 years. Subsequently, the 1998 Strategic Defence Review said:
	"We need to ensure that [Trident] can remain an effective deterrent for up to 30 years."
	Since 1998, we have undertaken a series of studies to refine our assessment of the potential in-service life of the Vanguard-class submarines. As described in the White Paper on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, we now believe that it should be possible to extend their lives by around five years. This means that we will achieve the aspiration set out in the Strategic Defence Review.

Working Hours

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average working hours were for personnel in the Royal Air Force in each year since 2001.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) carries out a continuous survey of working patterns, which is used to provide estimates of average hours worked. A time series of these estimates from 2001-02 to 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Survey estimates of average weekly hours worked by trained personnel in the Royal Air Force 
			  Financial year  Hours 
			 2001-02 42.0 
			 2002-03 42.8 
			 2003-04 43.0 
			 2004-05 42.9 
			 2005-06 42.2 
			  Note:  The figures are derived from individual sample surveys conducted each year and as such will be subject to the normal statistical variation. Analysis comparing figures between years are available in the continuous working patterns survey reports held in the House of Commons Library.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government's target for a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 includes emissions from international aviation.

Gillian Merron: The Government remain committed to taking a lead in tackling the problem of climate change, and to putting the UK on a path to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. from current levels by 2050. International flights from the UK are not currently included in this figure as there is, as yet, no international agreement on ways of allocating such emissions. But we have made it clear aviation needs to take its share of responsibility for tackling climate change. A well-designed emissions trading scheme is an important way of ensuring that aviation contributes to climate stabilisation, and the European Commission is expected to publish a legislative proposal to include aviation in the EU emissions trading scheme by the end of the year.

Bus Services Operator Grant

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the Bus Services Operator Grant 80 per cent. diesel fuel duty rebate on biofuel uptake.

Gillian Merron: Under the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) scheme operators of local bus services using biofuel currently receive a rebate of 100 per cent. of the fuel duty paid, rather than the 80 per cent. rebate paid for conventional fuels.
	As stated in our document, "Putting Passengers First", published on 12 December, we are now considering whether there is scope for reforming BSOG to tie this more directly to operators' performance and/or environmental outcomes, and the practical issues that would be involved.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure that his Department becomes carbon neutral.

Gillian Merron: On 12 June my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced new sustainable operations targets for the Government estate. The new targets include a commitment for a carbon-neutral central Government office estate by 2012 and to reduce carbon emissions from offices by 30 per cent. by 2020.
	The Department has already initiated a number of energy efficient measures across the estate and is in the process of developing action plans which will address these new targets.

Departmental Finance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: The Department was created in May 2002. Since this date the central Department and its agencies have paid the following amounts to DHL companies:
	
		
			  Financial year  Total payments (£) 
			  DHL International (UK) Ltd  
			 2002-03 9,150 
			 2003-04 17,230 
			 2004-05 18,893 
			 2005-06 12,837 
			  DHL Worldwide Express  
			 2002-03 2,394 
			 2003-04 2,120 
			 2004-05 14,120 
			 2005-06 95 
			   
			  DHL Express UK Ltd  
			 2002-03 2,000 
			 2003-04 43,000 
			 2004-05 59,000 
			 2005-06 71,000

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed on a consultancy basis in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest period was for which a consultant was employed in each year.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport only came into existence on 29 May 2002. The number of staff employed on a consultancy basis is not readily available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether people employed  (a) through employment agencies and  (b) on a consultancy basis are included in the calculations for the full-time equivalent staff mentioned in his Department's annual report.

Gillian Merron: The following do not include people employed through employment agencies or on a consultancy basis as full-time equivalent staff in the Departmental annual report:
	Department for Transport(C)
	Government Car and Despatch Agency
	Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	Driving Standards Agency
	The Highways Agency includes contractors who are filling a civil service post on a temporary basis in its full-time equivalent figures in the annual report. It does not include those people provided by employment agencies.
	The Vehicle Certification Agency includes the numbers of people engaged through employment agencies or on a consultancy basis in the annual report.
	The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency does not include figures of those employed on an agency or consultancy basis in the Department's annual report. However it provides a combined figure for agency and consultancy support in the VOSA annual report.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency included in the 05/06 annual report the numbers of people engaged through employment agencies.

Disabled Access Taxis

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regions have licensing conditions which make requirements in relation to full disability access taxis.

Gillian Merron: There are 32 licensing areas in Scotland and 15 (47 per cent.) of these have conditions, specifications or policies in place regarding wheelchair- accessible taxis. There are 343 licensing authorities in England and Wales, and 43 (12 per cent.) of these have a mandatory policy for wheelchair accessible taxis.

Disabled Bus Passengers

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend free bus travel to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: From April this year, older and disabled people have been guaranteed free off-peak local bus travel within their local authority area. From April 2008, this will be extended further allowing free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England.
	Free concessionary bus travel schemes for older and disabled people already exist in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Eddington Report

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 516W, on the Eddington Report, what the  (a) staff costs,  (b) publication costs and  (c) other costs were.

Gillian Merron: The Eddington Transport Study was published on 1 December 2006. The Eddington Transport Study team will be winding down in January 2007. Full costs will be available at that point. Sir Rod Eddington has given his time for free to the study.

Heathrow Airport

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many overseas residents on  (a) leisure and  (b) business trips transferred or transited at Heathrow Airport to (i) an overseas destination and (ii) another destination in the UK in 2005.

Gillian Merron: The estimated number of overseas residents who transferred at Heathrow Airport in 2005 on:
	 (a) leisure trips to an:
	(i) overseas destination (international) = 12,244,000
	(ii) another destination in the UK (domestic) = 879,000
	 (b) business trips to an:
	(i) overseas destination (international) = 5,277,000
	(ii) another destination in the UK (domestic) = 391,000
	Data are from the Civil Aviation Authority's Passenger Survey Report 2005, which can be found at:
	www.caa.co.uk/dafault.aspx?categorvid=81 .
	This information is not available for transit passengers.

Heathrow Airport

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) transfer and  (b) transit passengers used Heathrow airport in 2005.

Gillian Merron: At Heathrow airport in 2005 there were:
	(a) 23,036,000 transfer passengers, and
	(b) 230,000 transit passengers.
	 Source:
	Data for transfer passengers are from table 3 of CAA Passenger Survey report 2005. Data for transit passengers are from table 9 of CAA Airport Statistics 2005.Both reports may be accessed through www.caa.co.uk .

Heathrow Airport

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many overseas residents on  (a) leisure and  (b) business trips to the UK arrived at Heathrow airport in 2005.

Gillian Merron: Data on the aggregate number of overseas residents who arrived or departed from Heathrow airport (terminal passengers) are available from the Civil Aviation Authority's Passenger Survey Report 2005, Table 4b, found on the following website.
	http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?categoryid=81
	There are no data on arrivals only.

Heathrow Airport

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK residents on  (a) business and  (b) leisure trips to (i) other parts of the UK and (ii) overseas arrived at Heathrow airport in 2005.

Gillian Merron: Data on the aggregate number of UK residents who arrived or departed from Heathrow airport (terminal passengers) are available from the Civil Aviation Authority's Passenger Survey Report 2005, Table 4a, found on the following website.
	http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?categoryid=81
	There are no data on arrivals only.

Heathrow Airport

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK residents on  (a) leisure and  (b) business trips transferred or transited between domestic and overseas flights at Heathrow airport in 2005.

Gillian Merron: The estimated number of UK residents who transferred at Heathrow airport in 2005 on:
	(a) leisure trips to an:
	(i) overseas destination (international) = 1,965,000
	(ii) another destination in the UK (domestic) = 1,361,000
	(b) business trips to an:
	(i) overseas destination (international) = 666,000
	(ii) another destination in the UK (domestic) = 399,000
	Data are from the Civil Aviation Authority's Passenger Survey Report 2005, which can be found at:
	www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?categoryid=81 .
	This information is not available for transit passengers.

Identity Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which datasets held by his Department have been identified as suitable for use in the National Identity Register database.

Gillian Merron: At present, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is in discussions with the Identity and Passport Service with regard to how information held by them could be used to verify such identity- related information. However, no final decisions have yet been taken. There are currently no plans for any central Department of Transport datasets to be used to verify applications for registration on the National Identity Register.

Leak Inquiries

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions his Department and its predecessor departments have conducted a leak inquiry since May 1997; what the subject was of each inquiry; and who authorised each inquiry.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002 and since then has conducted two leak inquiries in the financial year 2002-03, three in 2003-04 and four in 2004-05. One inquiry is currently in progress. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the subject or outcome of leak inquiries in order to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

Local Government Targets

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets his Department sets for local authorities.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not set targets for local authorities.
	It does advise local authorities (outside London) that targets for 14 to 17 indicators (depending on local circumstances) should be included within their local transport plans. The indicators are listed in annex A of the Department's Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans (December 2004), published on the Department's website. The levels of all targets set are matters for local authorities to determine within the context of their overall priorities.

London Olympics

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what schemes are being planned to expand and improve the road network in East London in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Gillian Merron: The preparations for London's 2012 Olympic Games included enhancements to the A13. In addition to this, there is development planned for the Olympic Park Loop road, which will surround the main Stratford venue.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority is currently consulting on a draft of its Olympic Transport Plan, the final version of which will set out detailed transport arrangements for all Olympic venues.

Ministerial Duties

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which dates in the last month he  (a) attended his Department's offices in London,  (b) dealt with departmental business (i) in the House and (ii) elsewhere and  (c) undertook other engagements in his official capacity.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 4 December 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State attends his Department's office in London as appropriate for the conduct of business. In November this entailed his attendance for all or part of 18 days. Official business outside the departmental office was conducted on nine days. Information on the Department's business in the House is a matter of public record.
	All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers". The Government publish on an annual basis lists of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for 2006-07 will be published after the end of the financial year.

Modes of Transport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes there have been since 1976 in the cost of  (a) motoring,  (b) travelling by bus and  (c) travelling by train; and what assessment he has made of the proportion of average disposable income represented by such costs in each case in each year.

Gillian Merron: Table 1 shows in index form the costs of motoring, bus and train travel and household disposable income in real terms in each year since 1976.
	Table 2 shows the proportion of household disposable income spent on motoring, bus and rail in each year since 1976.
	
		
			  Table 1: Real changes in the cost of transport: UK 1976 to 2005 (index 1976 = 100) 
			   All motoring( 1)  Bus fares  Rail fares  Disposable income 
			 1976 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 1977 98.7 99.3 100.5 97.9 
			 1978 98.4 103.9 106.2 105.2 
			 1979 102.7 103.0 103.6 111.3 
			 1980 102.5 110.5 109.1 113.1 
			 1981 102.6 109.3 111.5 112.7 
			 1982 99.8 115.9 117.8 112.1 
			 1983 102.0 117.2 118.7 114.6 
			 1984 99.5 114.2 114.2 118.8 
			 1985 98.2 112.1 114.5 122.9 
			 1986 93.6 117.6 118.2 127.9 
			 1987 95.1 119.5 119.4 132.5 
			 1988 94.7 121.8 121.7 139.8 
			 1989 92.7 121.9 123.2 146.5 
			 1990 89.8 117.5 122.4 151.5 
			 1991 91.2 126.6 127.7 154.6 
			 1992 93.9 130.6 132.1 159.0 
			 1993 96.4 134.2 139.1 163.5 
			 1994 97.3 134.4 141.8 166.0 
			 1995 95.8 134.8 143.2 170.0 
			 1996 96.3 136.5 145.0 174.2 
			 1997 98.4 137.0 143.9 180.4 
			 1998 98.1 136.8 144.9 182.1 
			 1999 98.9 139.7 147.9 187.9 
			 2000 99.8 141.2 146.1 196.7 
			 2001 97.5 144.5 149.0 204.8 
			 2002 95.2 146.5 150.0 208.3 
			 2003 93.7 148.3 148.2 214.2 
			 2004 91.8 151.5 149.5 218.5 
			 2005 89.9 157.0 151.2 223.1 
			 (1) "All motoring" includes the cost of purchase, maintenance, fuel, tax and insurance.  Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Motoring, bus and rail expenditure as a proportion of household disposable income: UK 1976 to 2005 
			  Percentage 
			   Motoring( 1)  Bus (inc. taxi)  Rail  Disposable income 
			 1976 10.4 2.2 0.9 100 
			 1977 10.4 2.2 1.0 100 
			 1978 10.5 2.0 0.9 100 
			 1979 10.4 1.8 0.9 100 
			 1980 10.2 1.7 0.8 100 
			 1981 1.0.3 1.6 0.8 100 
			 1982 10.6 1.5 0.8 100 
			 1983 11.2 1.4 0.8 100 
			 1984 10.8 1.4 0.8 100 
			 1985 10.9 1.5 0.8 100 
			 1986 11.4 1.5 0.8 100 
			 1987 11.6 1.4 0.8 100 
			 1988 12.1 1.4 0.8 100 
			 1989 12.1 1.4 0.7 100 
			 1990 11.6 1.4 0.7 100 
			 1991 10.6 1.2 0.6 100 
			 1992 10.3 1.2 0.6 100 
			 1993 10.4 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1994 10.5 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1995 10.4 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1996 10.6 . 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1997 10.5 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1998 10.8 1.1 0.6 100 
			 1999 10.8 1.1 0.6 100 
			 2000 10.7 1.1 0.6 100 
			 2001 10.9 1.0 0.6 100 
			 2002 11.1 1.0 0.6 100 
			 2003 11.0 1.0 0.6 100 
			 2004 10.9 0.9 0.6 100 
			 2005 10.7 0.9 0.6 100 
			 (1) "Motoring" includes the cost of purchase, maintenance, fuel and insurance. Excludes tax.  Source:  Office for National Statistics

Office for Disability Issues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) attended meetings of the Office for Disability Issues since its establishment.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 13 December 2006
	I attend regular meetings of the ministerial group on 'Improving the life chances of disabled people', chaired by the Office for Disability Issues. Ministers meet many people as part of the process of policy development and business delivery. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

Oil Handling Facilities

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanism is used to consider consent for new oil-handling facilities within harbour authority areas.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 747W given to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz).

Passenger Transport Authorities

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what additional surcharges  (a) Stagecoach,  (b) Go-Ahead and  (c) First Group have made on each passenger transport authority in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is not held by the Department. Reimbursement paid to bus operators for providing concessionary travel is a matter for individual local authorities. The hon. Member might wish to contact local authorities for information.
	Where an operator considers that reimbursement is not adequate an application may be made to the Secretary of State, in accordance with the appropriate provisions in the Transport Act 1985 and the Transport Act 2000, for a determination as to whether the reimbursement arrangements are appropriate in the circumstances of the case, or for release from compulsory participation in a travel concession scheme under the Transport Act 1985. The Secretary of State is currently considering a number of such applications.

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

Gillian Merron: There has been one public appointment of a former Minister.
	
		
			  Body  National Cycling Strategy Board for England 
			 Former Minister Steve Norris 
			 Dates October 2001 to July 2004

Public Expenditure

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent per capita by his Department in  (a) each English region,  (b) London,  (c) Scotland and  (d) Wales in the last period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: Information on the Department's identifiable expenditure by region per head for years from 2000-01 is published in the Department's Annual Report 2006 (Cm 6527), Table A8. This is available in the Libraries of the House.

Public Transport: London

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will use  (a) Transport Direct and  (b) other public transport information means for which he is responsible to alert passengers from other parts of the country to the increases due in 2007 to fares on the tube and buses in London and the discounts and availability of Oyster cards.

Gillian Merron: Transport Direct currently plans journeys based on the time taken rather than the cost of the journey. It does hold fares information for rail travel and for car journeys however no interface currently exists to enable local fares to be accessed via the portal.
	Over the past 12 months consultation has been held with a view to establishing a Farexchange standard for the creation and transmission of fares data via a common language. This may enable such information to be provided in the future. Transport for London shows details of fares and the Oyster reductions on its own website, however these are only available in text format and are not linked to journey planning results.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train services were cancelled mid-journey because they were overcrowded in the last 12 months.

Tom Harris: The information requested is of an operational nature, and is not held by the Department. When it becomes necessary to cancel a train during its journey, it is understood the recorded cause would relate to the immediate operational reason, rather than to any crowding which may have contributed.

Railways

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of rail passengers from Scotland and the North-West whose journeys continue beyond Birmingham.

Tom Harris: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The Department is unable to release detailed passenger flow data of the number of rail passengers from Scotland and the North-West whose journeys continue beyond Birmingham as this would compromise the commercial position of train operators. However the New Cross-Country Stakeholder briefing document, published on the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk. gives examples of the level of passenger flows.
	The following is an extract from the New-Cross Country Stakeholder briefing document.
	The following tables offer data, derived from rail industry systems, as a reference towards the quantum of daily Cross-Country passenger flows originating at some key origin points:
	
		
			  Daily average of Cross-Country Weekday Return Journeys originating at Glasgow Central 
			   Number 
			 Preston(1) 62 
			 Birmingham NS(1) 108 
			 Bristol TM(2, 3) 10 
			 Plymouth(2, 3) 9 
			 (1 )Denotes direct services available in New Cross-Country (2 )Denotes change of train necessary in New Cross-County (3 )Limited direct journey opportunities available with greater comparative journey duration 
		
	
	
		
			  Daily average of Cross-Country Weekday Return Journeys originating at Oxenholme 
			   Number 
			 Preston(1) 60 
			 Birmingham NS(1) 21 
			 Bristol TM(2) 10 
			 Plymouth(2) 2 
			 (1 )Denotes direct services available in New Cross-Country (2 )Denotes change of train necessary in New Cross-County 
		
	
	
		
			  Daily average of Weekday Return Cross-Country Journeys originating at Exeter St. David's 
			   Number 
			 Bristol TM(1) 406 
			 Birmingham NS(1) 109 
			 Preston(2) 2 
			 Carlisle(2) 1 
			 (1 )Denotes direct services available in New Cross-Country (2 )Denotes change of train necessary in New Cross-County 
		
	
	
		
			  Daily average of Weekday Return Cross-Country Journeys originating at Plymouth 
			   Number 
			 Bristol TM(1) 188 
			 Birmingham NS(2) 78 
			 Preston(2) 10 
			 Carlisle(2) 4 
			 (1 )Denotes direct services available in New Cross-Country (2 )Denotes change of train necessary in New Cross-County 
		
	
	The sample below serves to illustrate that by swapping the terminating train in each hour at Birmingham from a service which has originated in Manchester to a service which has originated in Scotland, and has run via the English Lakes, the number of instances of people changing trains remains almost balanced.
	
		
			  Daily average of Weekday Cross-Country Journeys commencing at Bristol Temple Meads to combined North-West England and Scottish station groups 
			   Number 
			 Crewe to Glasgow inclusive stations (1)101 
			 Stoke and Manchester Piccadilly stations only (2)119 
			 (1 )Route north of Birmingham transferred to Virgin West Coast (2 )New Cross-Country defined route 
		
	
	The Department recognises the need to assist all passengers when changing trains and acknowledges the challenges Birmingham New Street station can present to rail users. For many journeys where a change is necessary there will be alternatives such as Wolverhampton, which has seen recent investment in new waiting areas, lifts, a footbridge and customer information systems. Other alternatives include Banbury and Cheltenham Spa, where the operational layout of the station dictates that only same-platform changes are necessary. Derby is also an appropriate alternative where the need to change platforms is highly unlikely.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many station platforms have been temporarily closed due to overcrowding in each of the last five years.

Tom Harris: The information requested is not held by the Department. Train stations are managed generally by Network Rail and individual train operating companies. Inquiries relating to temporary platform closures should be made to Network Rail and the Association of Train Companies, which represents the interests of the train companies, to ascertain whether the information is available in the format required. The contact details are:
	Network Rail
	Media Office
	40 Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE
	Tel: 020 7557 8292
	Association of Train Operating Companies Ltd
	Media Office
	3rd Floor
	40 Bernard Street
	London
	Tel: 020 7841 8020

Railways

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to companies to act as an operator of the last resort on behalf of  (a) the Strategic Rail Authority and  (b) his Department in each of the last five years; how this fee package was structured; what tender process was used to appoint such companies; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department and previously the Strategic Rail Authority have had a contract with one company—First Class Partnerships—relating to the procurement of specialist advice in connection with duties as 'Operator of Last Resort'. The contract prices and payment schedule are commercially confidential. The latest contract, awarded in July 2004, was let following a competition from one of the Authority's framework agreements. The framework agreement was let in full compliance with EU procurement rules. The contract was subsequently transferred to the Department in July 2005 when it assumed the Authority's responsibilities. No train operating company has acted as operators as last resort on behalf of either the SRA or the Department.

Railways

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on the performance of North Kent rail services; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: I have frequent meetings with senior industry parties including Network Rail, to examine performance on the Network. Discussion centres on any particular performance problems on the Network, and on the action being taking as a result. I also discuss with Network Rail its current plans to ensure continued improvement on the system as a whole.

Railways

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the performance figures were for North Kent rail services for the four week periods covering  (a) October and  (b) November; what the figures were for the same periods in 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: This is an operational matter for Network Rail, as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for a response to his question.
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains of each train company were cancelled in the last 12 months; how many of those trains were cancelled  (a) before reaching their final destination and  (b) before departure; and what the reason was for each cancellation.

Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael), 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 9-10W.

Renwable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Gillian Merron: Information on the amount of energy consumed by the Department acquired from renewable sources will shortly be published by the Sustainable Development Commission.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden) to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the Senior Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport has a default retirement age of 65 for staff below the senior civil service level. Employees have the right to request to work beyond the default retirement age.

Rural Support

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what programmes of support his Department makes available to rural areas; and what the financial cost is expected to be in 2007-08.

Gillian Merron: The Department provides funding for rural transport through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) paid to local authorities in England based on numbers living in rural areas. The cost in 2007-08 will be £55.6 million.
	It is estimated that over £4 million will be paid to authorities in 2007-08 in respect of Rural Bus Challenge projects and Kickstart bus schemes in rural areas.
	Bus services in rural areas also benefit from the Department's Bus Service Operators Grant, paid to operators of local bus services in both urban and rural areas. The proportion of this grant going to operators in rural areas is not separately recorded.
	The Department allocates about £1.6 billion per year to urban and rural authorities to deliver their local transport plans. Depending on local priorities, an element of this will be spent on rural areas.
	The majority of this Department's other programmes benefit both rural and urban areas. However, to provide information on the cost of these programmes in rural areas alone is not possible.

Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics annual report and accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051
	Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Traffic Lights

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will encourage the installation of light- emitting diodes in traffic lights by local authorities.

Gillian Merron: It is for local highway authorities to decide whether or not to use light-emitting diode (LED) traffic signals. A number of LED products meeting UK requirements for traffic signals, as described in British Standard BS EN 12368, are available for highway authorities to install.

Traffic Lights

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the  (a) carbon dioxide emissions,  (b) operational costs and  (c) maintenance costs of a (i) light-emitting diode traffic light and (ii) normal traffic light.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport has estimated the amount of energy used by conventional traffic signals to be of the order of 17-24 MW/hr. Changing to light-emitting diode traffic signals could potentially save 50-60 per cent. of this. Carbon dioxide emission reductions, operational costs and maintenance costs have not been estimated. Some of these depend on local energy agreements and maintenance practices and are for the local highway authority to determine.

Transport Projects

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was  (a) allocated and  (b) approved by his Department for transport projects in (i) the Greater Manchester sub-region and (ii) the Merseyside sub-region in each of the last two years.

Gillian Merron: The following table details funding approved by the Department for Transport for Greater Manchester and Merseyside transport projects in each of the last two years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Greater Manchester  Merseyside 
			  Local transport plan   
			 2005-06 102.66 61.492 
			 2006-07 79.478 49.086 
			  Targeted programme of improvements   
			 2005-06 47.3 0.7 
			 2006-07 6.0 1.4 
		
	
	In addition to the above, the recent Regional Funding Allocations exercise identified the following schemes as requiring funding (subject to technical appraisal) in 2006-07:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Greater Manchester 20.7 
			 Greater Manchester Urban Traffic Control Scheme 1 
			 Metrolink Extensions 4.3 
			 Rochdale Interchange 1.5 
			 Metrolink Phase 1 and 2 Renewals 13.9 
			 Merseyside 10.948 
			 Liverpool Hall Lane Gateway 4.7 
			 Liverpool Edge Lane 6.248 
		
	
	Both sub-regions have also benefited significantly from the £8.6 billion West Coast Route Modernisation Programme.

Waterloo to Reading Railway Line

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to change the  (a) rolling stock and  (b) engines on the Waterloo to Reading railway line; and whether older trains are to be re-introduced on this line.

Tom Harris: Stagecoach, the successful bidder for the South Western franchise, will determine the rolling stock to be used on their routes. The Reading-Waterloo line is currently served by a mix of Class 450 "Desiros", of which 17 more 4-car units have recently been purchased, and Class 458 "Juniper" trains. Both are modern, air-conditioned stock and there is no plan to introduce older stock onto this route. The older, but recently refurbished Class 455 units, are expected to run on more inner suburban services. Stagecoach will confirm arrangements to the public in due course.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Young People

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many 16 and 17-year-olds were placed in bed and breakfast accommodation in 2005-06, broken down by local authority.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not currently held centrally, as figures reported by local housing authorities about households in temporary accommodation (including bed and breakfast) do not distinguish the applicant's age. We plan to start collecting specific data next year, following consultation with local authorities, on the numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds placed in bed and breakfast accommodation.
	In 2005-06, 8 per cent. of all households accepted as homeless were in priority need because the applicant was 16 or 17-years-old. This group makes up 23 per cent. of all acceptances where the household did not include dependent children and/or an expectant mother.
	At the end of March 2006, a total of 5,150 households were in bed and breakfast accommodation. This is a 60 per cent. reduction since 2002. Just over 4,000 of these did not include dependent children and/or an expectant mother, and some of these may include 16 or 17-year-old applicants.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of care responsibilities on women in work; whether she has made an assessment of the merits of an employer supported care voucher scheme, similar to that in operation for childcare, to enable carers better to manage work and caring; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We know from the 2001 Census that women are more likely than men to provide unpaid care, and that women with caring responsibilities who are in employment are more likely to be in part-time work compared to men who provide unpaid care. Officials in my department are examining whether and how carers' issues can be addressed within our policies and practices. As part of this work, initial discussions are taking place between officials in my department and the Department of Health on how we can support the commitment, set out in the White Paper 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' to update and extend the Prime Minister's strategy for carers. We are also in contact with relevant officials in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Departmental Secondments

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many members of staff from her Department who are seconded to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office were awarded a bonus for their work in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: Given the small number of staff seconded to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and that performance related bonuses are personal information, on the grounds of staff confidentiality it would be inappropriate to answer.

Domestic Energy Assessors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to provide grant assistance to those undertaking courses to achieve the National Occupational Standards for Domestic Energy Assessors.

Yvette Cooper: Candidates in England should contact their local Learning and Skills Council for details of support which may be available.
	Details of other grants available to adult learners can be found on the Directgov website www.direct.gov.uk.

Domestic Energy Assessors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of technical expertise will be required of those qualifying to become energy assessors.

Yvette Cooper: The National Occupational Standards for Domestic Energy Assessors have been developed by Asset Skills, the relevant sector skills council, and are currently going through the approval process by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Once approved, they will be available on the QCA's website www.qca.gov.uk. Awarding bodies are also awaiting approval from the QCA for the qualifications they have designed, which are expected to be available early next year.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to create a statutory duty to provide services for domestic violence victims.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Currently, there are two key statutory mechanisms for protecting the public: Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs). The former are concerned with managing offenders living in the community who pose a risk to public safety, while the latter focus on children who are in need of care or at risk.
	Recently, a new body has been developed: the MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference). MARACs focus on the adult victims of domestic violence, and seek to intervene with victims at high risk of repeat victimisation, serious injury or homicide.
	While not statutory, MARACs are proving to be highly effective at preventing homicides, and in dramatically reducing repeat attacks. In Cardiff, for example, 42 per cent. of victims experienced no repeat incidents.
	We are rolling out MARACs to more Specialist Domestic Violence Court areas, and will be monitoring their effectiveness. Targets in reductions for repeat victimisation following the introduction of MARACs are also increasingly being included in local area agreements.

Fire Brigade: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average response time of the fire brigade in Tamworth constituency was in the last period for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested is held centrally for responses to primary fires in each fire and rescue service area, but not for sub-divisions of fire and rescue service areas.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department and its predecessors on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Angela Smith: The Department of Communities and Local Government furniture procurement strategy is to use the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions' framework contracts. There is no mechanism within the framework to capture the country of origin of these goods. The extraction of this information would be at disproportionate cost.

Green Belt

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) homes and  (b) non-domestic buildings were built on Green Belt land in each year since 1997-98.

Yvette Cooper: The information available on housing is from Land Use Change Statistics set out in the following table. The Green Belt includes both greenfield and brownfield land. The proportion of new dwellings built on greenfield land in Green Belts has fallen from 1.5 per cent. in 1997 to 1.0 per cent. in 2004.
	Information on the numbers of non-domestic buildings is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number and proportions of new dwellings built in the Green Belt, by previous use, 1997 to 2004 
			   Dwellings  Proportions by previous use 
			   New dwellings on previously developed land in the Green Belt  New dwellings on greenfield land in the Green Belt  New dwellings on previously developed land in the Green Belt as a proportion of all new dwellings  New dwellings on greenfield land in the Green Belt as a proportion of all new dwellings 
			 1997 2,530 2,170 1.7 1.5 
			 1998 2,750 2,280 1.9 1.6 
			 1999 3,610 1,990 2.6 1.4 
			 2000 3,390 2,560 2.5 1.9 
			 2001 3,400 1,820 2.6 1.4 
			 2002 2,890 2,060 2.1 1.5 
			 2003 2,890 2,000 2.0 1.4 
			 2004 2,880 1,550 1.9 1.0 
			  
			 Total (1997-2004) 24,340 16,420 2.2 1.5 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government completions data (2006), LUCS data (LUCS 21 A, October 2006)

Health Care: East Anglia

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on future healthcare provision in the Stansted-Cambridge-Peterborough growth corridor; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: It is for the health authorities to work with local partners, including local delivery vehicles, to plan for future healthcare provision in the growth areas, and to ensure that new developments promote healthy communities. For example, in January 2006, the health forum of Cambridgeshire Horizons, the local delivery vehicle for the sub-region, published "Population Growth and Capacity Planning for Health and Social Care", which assessed the population consequences of planned housing development in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and the implications for health and social care.
	Government are providing extra resources to support health services in the growth areas, and the Department has worked closely with the Department of Health to ensure that core health funding takes account of planned housing growth. For example, the Department of Health has already included a growth areas adjustment to primary care trust revenue funding.

Housing

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of projected additional housing demand she attributes to  (a) larger families,  (b) longer life expectancy and  (c) migration.

Yvette Cooper: The Department's household projections for England are used to estimate future housing requirements. In the most recent 2003 based household projections it was estimated that there would be an average 209,000 additional households per annum between 2003 and 2026.
	Of the 209,000 additional households per annum:
	 (a) It is not possible to estimate the proportion of household growth due to larger families. However, it was estimated that 150,000 of the additional households per annum will be single person households, accounting for 72 per cent. of the growth;
	 (b) Older households i.e. those with household representatives aged 65 or older was estimated to account for around 105,000 (50 per cent.) of the growth;
	 (c) Net migration into England was estimated to account for around 65,000 (31 per cent.) of the growth.

Housing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to review key worker shared ownership housing schemes managed by housing associations.

Yvette Cooper: We reviewed our shared ownership and key worker schemes last year as part of a wider consultation—'HomeBuy - Expanding the Opportunity to Own'—on proposals to provide simpler, fairer home ownership opportunities for more people. Our new 'HomeBuy' scheme was launched in April this year. Further work is underway as a result of the shared equity task force to help more people into shared ownership and ensure resources are targeted most effectively.

Housing

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) average household income and  (b) average private sector rent for self-contained accommodation was in each higher tier local authority area over the latest three year period for which figures are available; and what the ratio of those two factors is for each local authority, listed in descending order.

Yvette Cooper: Average household incomes by local authority are not available. As an alternative, average employee earnings by local authority are available from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an Office for National Statistics survey.
	The tables that can be accessed via the following links include average gross weekly pay for full time employees in 2004, 2005 and 2006 disaggregated by place of employee residence. The links for each of the three years are:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2004_inc/tab8_1a.xls
	http://www. statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2005/Table8_1a.xls
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2006/tab8_1a.xls
	Reliable data for average private sector rents for self-contained accommodation are not available at local authority level. Consequently, ratios of income to private rent cannot be provided either.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she has made an assessment of the cost of payments to Registered Social Landlords Board members in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: No such assessment has been made. In 2004, the Housing Corporation issued a determination under schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1996 permitting payments to registered social landlord (RSL) board members of less than £20,000. The annual regulatory and statistical return collected by the Housing Corporation includes a question on whether RSLs make any payments to board members. It does not collect information about the amounts paid. The number of RSLs that made payments to their board members in each year are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of RSLs making payments to board members 
			 2004 94 
			 2005 172 
			 2006 131 
		
	
	These data are only available for RSLs that complete a long RSR form. RSLs with fewer than 250 units are not required to complete a long RSR.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what bonuses were paid to the  (a) chief executives and  (b) directors of the 10 largest registered social landlords in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation does not require registered social landlords to disclose the details of bonuses paid to their chief executives and directors, although some do so as a matter of good practice. We are therefore unable to provide this information.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered social landlords are achieving Government targets.

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not set targets for registered social landlords (RSLs), which are independent organisations, registered with and regulated by the Housing Corporation. All RSLs must comply with the Housing Corporation's regulatory code and statutory guidance which set out its requirements in the areas of governance, management and financial viability. For all associations with more than 250 units the Corporation produces an annual assessment which rates performance in these areas, plus where relevant in the area of development.

Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of households on housing waiting lists in  (a) each English region and  (b) each London local authority were from black and ethnic minority communities in 2005.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the ethnic breakdown of households on the waiting list for social housing is not held centrally.

Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with local authorities on planned new social housing in Coventry.

Yvette Cooper: There have been no specific discussions between the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and local authorities in relation to plans for new social housing in Coventry.

Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projections she has made of the number of additional households there will be in each region in the period 2003 to 2026; how many of these additional households she expects to be as a result of migration in each region; and what assessment she has made of the impact of migration on housing demand and infrastructure on London and the South East.

Yvette Cooper: The estimated number of additional households in England and each region between 2003 and 2026 were published in the statistical release of 14 March 2006:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l002882&PressNoticeID=2097
	An estimate of the projected household growth attributable to migration is only available for England as a whole. This shows 65,000 (31 per cent.) out of the 209,000 additional households per annum are attributable to migration.

Housing

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many unoccupied homes there were in  (a) Somerset and  (b) England in each month of each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 13 December 2006
	There is no monthly information on vacancies available centrally.
	The following numbers of vacant dwellings were reported by districts in Somerset and for the whole of England in the last five years:
	
		
			   Snapshot date  Somerset  England 
			 2001 1 April n/a 753,100 
			 2002 1 November 5,946 758,100 
			 2003 3 November 6,136 743,800 
			 2004 1 November 6,268 714,000 
			 2005 10 October 6,915 723,200 
			 n/a = Figure not available  Source: Council Tax Base (CTB1) returns for 2002-2005 Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix for 2001. 
		
	
	Somerset is defined as the districts of Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton and West Somerset.
	These figures include empty homes for sale and houses which have been unoccupied for a very short period.

Housing

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact of net migration on  (a) housing demand in England over the last five years and  (b) future housing demand in England.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government's 2003 based household projections for England, estimate that out of 209,000 additional households per year between 2003 and 2026, about 65,000 per year (31 per cent.) is attributable to net migration into England.

Sexual Orientation Regulations

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made with the introduction of the Sexual Orientation Regulations; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government will publish a response to the consultation after the Christmas recess in good time for the laying of the regulations to come into force next April, alongside Part 2 of the Equality Act outlawing discrimination on grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods and services.
	Since the close of consultation in June of this year the Government have been looking closely at the nearly 3,000 responses and discussing the detailed issues with interested parties.

Thames Gateway Development

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will commission research on the impact of overhead power lines on development in the Thames Gateway in line with the recommendations of the Thames Gateway evidence review published by her Department in November.

Yvette Cooper: The impact of overhead power lines on development in the Thames Gateway is a matter that needs to be considered site by site, in accordance with planning policies. This is the approach already being taken by local authorities in the Gateway.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the designation of areas of special scientific interest in Northern Ireland has been delayed; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The delay in the programme for designating areas of special scientific interest (ASSIs) has resulted from the prioritisation of the work to identify, designate and protect special areas of conservation and special protection areas to comply with the requirements of European directives.

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the budget of the Environment and Heritage Service will be set aside to meet the costs of areas of special scientific interest designations in Northern Ireland in the next financial year.

David Cairns: The projected spend by Environment and Heritage Service on areas of special scientific interest designations in 2007-08 is £3,329,000. This figure includes the anticipated spend on management agreements, ASSI-related research and the salary costs of the staff involved in the survey, designation, management and protection of ASSIs.
	In total this figure equates to 5.68 per cent. of the EHS budget beginning 1 April 2007.

Areas of Special Scientific Interest

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the budget of the Environment and Heritage Service was set aside to meet the costs of designated areas of special scientific interest in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The total costs associated with the designation and management of areas of special scientific interest for each of the last six years would include a proportion of staff costs, expenditure on ASSI-related research and the costs of management agreements and associated works. Only the latter can be calculated with any degree of accuracy.
	Expressed as actual costs and as a percentage of the EHS budget, the costs of ASSI management agreements for the last six years are as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£)  Percentage of the EHS budget 
			 2001-02 140,000 0.42 
			 2002-03 110,000 0.28 
			 2003-04 220,000 0.43 
			 2004-05 350,000 0.62 
			 2005-06 350,000 0.61 
		
	
	Figures for this financial year will not be finalised until April but should again show a small increase in expenditure for the 12-month period to 31 March 2007.

Consultancy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which 10 consultancy fees charged to his Department since May 1997 were the most expensive.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is unable to provide all of the information requested by the hon. Member as to do so would be at disproportionate cost.
	Following the Northern Ireland Audit Office report "Use of Consultants", the NIO has recently issued a new policy on the use of external consultants. Included in this is an annual statement for the annual actual and planned expenditure on external consultants and staff substitution. An annual statement was produced for the 2005-06 financial year. Therefore, we can provide the 10 most expensive consultancy fees charged to the NIO, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, for the financial year 2005-06. They were:
	
		
			  Name of consultant/firm  Subject of consultancy  Cost (£) 
			 PCR Ltd Leadership development training programme 300,000 
			 Deloitte and Touche Implementation of Criminal Justice Review recommendations leading to the implementation of the Public Prosecution Service (PPSNI) 287,925 
			 Tim Lewis Recruitment Management of the Causeway Programme(10-year project has been established to improve integration of criminal justice information systems) 204,651 
			 Deloitte and Touche Assisting implementation of Criminal Justice Review recommendations leading to the implementation of the Public Prosecution Service (PPSNI) 177,979 
			 Osprey Mott MacDonald/Mott MacDonald Ltd Project management and technical design services for the new Forensic Science Laboratory NI 126,409 
			 Internet Solutions Ireland/Fluent Technology Provision of new IT system for the State Pathologist's Department 125,782 
			 Deloitte and Touche Management of the Causeway programme(10-year project has been established to improve integration of criminal justice information systems) 121,544 
			 Keppies Design Design consultancy and operational advice for the Juvenile Justice Centre project 120,159 
			 Tim Lewis Recruitment FLAX2 IT Project—computerisation of 13 manual processes 107,000 
			 Oliver Sanders Research/Drafting on new Human Rights Guidance 92,963

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's annual budget is for employing workers on a consultancy basis; and how much of this budget was used in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is unable to provide all of the information requested by the hon. Member in relation to consultancy budgets and expenditure. Due to the NIO's current financial system we are only able to provide budget information for the previous and current financial years, i.e. 2005-06 and 2006-07. Budget information for previous years would have to be gathered manually and would be at disproportionate cost. The following table represents the information held on budgets and expenditure for consultancy costs for the NIO, excluding its agencies and NDPBs.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Budget  Spend 
			 2001-02 (1)— 2,300,656 
			 2002-03 (1)— 3,600,431 
			 2003-04 (1)— 4,217,385 
			 2004-05 (1)— 5,013,939 
			 2005-06 5,584,000 5,157,466 
			 2006-07(2) 5,073,340 2,872,492 
			 (1) Not available. (2) Figures supplied for 2006-07 relate to the full year's budget against the spend as at end of October 2006.

Environment and Heritage Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by the Environment and Heritage Service to meet targets for areas of special scientific interest designations in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is presently establishing a priority, risk-based list of 200 sites for designation as areas of special scientific interest (ASSI) over the next ten years. In order to meet its statutory obligations EHS intends to increase incrementally its rate of designation from 15 ASSIs in this financial year to 20 next year and 25 in successive years.

Police

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to amend the list of organisations of which police officers in Northern Ireland must declare their membership.

Paul Goggins: Section 51 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 requires each PSNI officer to inform the Chief Constable of any notifiable membership which he believes he has, or if none, of that belief. As the list of organisations is provided in guidance published by the Chief Constable, any amendment to that list is a matter for him.

Rates

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was collected in household rates in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the average paid per household was in that period.

David Hanson: The net amount collected from domestic rates for each of the last five years and average paid per household is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Rates collected (£ million) 244.5 271 299.1 328.4 361.2 
			 Household average (£) 354 386 419 457 490

Rates

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of how much he expects to be collected in household rates in Northern Ireland in each of the next three years under the new rating system; what he expects the average sum per household to be; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: For 2007-08, the total domestic revenue (for both district and regional rates) is projected to be £448.2 million, with the average household bill forecast to be £709.
	The level of regional rates for all years beyond 2007-08 will be a matter for the assembly to decide as part of the Budget processes, and for district councils in the case of the district rate.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 329W, on Downing street (functions), which political events were hosted at Downing street in each year since May 1997; and how much was paid by the Labour party to meet the costs of each event.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 329W.

Deputy Prime Minister

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received calling for the abolition of the post of Deputy Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: I have no intention of abolishing the post of Deputy Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the statutory responsibilities are of the Deputy Prime Minister under the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975;
	(2)  what financial transfers were made from other Government Departments to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office following the machinery of Government changes.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 72W. My right hon. Friend's responsibilities are also set out in the list of ministerial responsibilities, copies of which are available on the Cabinet Office website and in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Meetings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister what meetings  (a) he and  (b) officials acting on his behalf have had with representatives of the defence industry since 1st August 2006; when each meeting took place; what the subjects of each meeting were; and who attended each.

Tony Blair: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Official Entertainment

Mark Francois: To ask the Prime Minister what the names of the guests were who attended official dinners at No. 10 Downing street in November 2006.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 152W.

Rehabilitation International's Charter

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made on proposals for a UN convention on the rights of disabled people as referred to in the answer of 25 March 2002,  Official Report, column 618W, on Rehabilitation International's Charter (for the Third Millennium); what contribution the UK Government has made to this process; and when he expects to be in a position to sign such a convention.

Tony Blair: Negotiations on the text of the draft United Nations (UN) Convention on Disability Rights were completed earlier this year and the General Assembly adopted the Convention on 13 December. The Government support the Convention wholeheartedly.
	The UK is committed to supporting comprehensive and enforceable rights for disabled people and wishes to see those rights enjoyed by disabled citizens everywhere. Despite many UN human rights conventions, the human rights of disabled people have not been fully recognised around the world, and they continue to experience discrimination and disabling barriers. The UK therefore welcomed the decision of the UN General Assembly to set up an ad hoc committee to prepare the text of a new Convention on Disability Rights and played a full and positive role in the negotiations. We also led negotiations for the European Union during our Presidency in 2005 and hope to be among the first countries to sign and ratify it.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the implementation of the Afghanistan Compact.

Kim Howells: The Afghan Government (GoA) with the support of the international community, remains focused on implementing the Afghanistan Compact. However, progress against the compact's 43 benchmarks is currently uneven. Seven of the 11 short-life benchmarks outlined in the compact are expected to be met by 20 March 2007 deadline. These include the creation of a transparent appointments mechanism for all senior level appointments to the central Government and the judiciary; reform of corruption oversight procedures; and reviews of commercial laws and administrative boundaries.
	The United Kingdom is working closely with the Afghan Government, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and other international actors to ensure any shortfalls are addressed arid that the political commitments outlined in the compact are implemented according to the benchmarks.

Burma

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Burmese Government on the ability of international NGOs to operate in that country; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We have strongly urged the Burmese Government to ensure the UN and international non-governmental organisations can address Burma's pressing humanitarian needs, in particular through the Three Diseases Fund. Our ambassador in Rangoon emphasised this in his meeting with the Burmese Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister on 18 August.
	The UK played an active role in drafting the UN General Assembly resolution, adopted on 20 November, which calls for safe and unhindered access to all parts of Burma for the UN and international humanitarian organisations.
	We are extremely concerned about the Burmese Government's decision to order the closure of the field offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Thomas) released statements on 28 and 29 November respectively, strongly condemning the Burmese Government's actions. Our embassy in Rangoon has expressed our concerns about the ICRC to Burmese Government Ministers. The EU issued a statement on 5 December. The full text of the statement can be found at:
	http://www.eu2006.fi/news_and_documents/cfsp_statements/vko49/en_GB/1165317636066/

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will move the British embassy in Burma to the capital in Naypyidaw.

Ian McCartney: At present, we have no plans to move our embassy in Rangoon to Naypyitaw.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact the British embassy in Burma has had with the Union Solidarity and Development Association in the past year.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Rangoon has had no contact with the Union Solidarity and Development Association in the past year.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the Union Solidarity and Development Association on the political situation in Burma.

Ian McCartney: The Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) is officially termed a 'social organisation' and is involved in some social and charitable activities. However, it is also used by the Burmese Government to promote their political aims. Membership is compulsory for most government employees. Others are threatened or induced to join. The USDA is widely believed to have been involved in the attacks on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy at Depayin in 2003 and in the intimidation they suffered on earlier trips. There are unconfirmed reports that the Burmese Government intend to transform the USDA into a pro-Government political party which would contest any forthcoming general election.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the outcome of UN Envoy Ibrahim Gambari's recent visit to Burma.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 463-64W, and 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 69-70W.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the regime ruling Burma on the detention of  (a) Min Ko Naing and  (b) other student leaders.

Ian McCartney: I issued a statement on 2 October calling for the release of Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Kway, Min Zeya and Myint Aye. The statement was delivered to the Home and Foreign Affairs Ministries in Burma. The EU released a statement on 5 October and followed this up with a demarche on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 23 October.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether discussions on a replacement for the UN special envoy to Burma have taken place at the UN; and which candidates have been put forward by the UK Government.

Ian McCartney: Discussions have taken place at official level about the possibility of appointing a new UN Special Envoy to Burma. No decision has been taken and no candidates have been put forward by the Government.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Governments of  (a) Cuba and  (b) Venezuela on the UN General Assembly resolution on Burma.

Ian McCartney: We have had no discussions with the Governments of Cuba and Venezuela on the UN General Assembly resolution on Burma. Representatives of both Cuba and Venezuela made clear their opposition to this resolution on its adoption in the General Assembly's Third Committee. But neither country made representations to the UK delegation or to the Finnish Presidency of the European Union during negotiations.

China: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the fairness of the trials of  (a) Chen Guangcheng and  (b) Zhao Yan in China.

Ian McCartney: Official information on both these trials is limited. However, the Government have received reports of breaches of due process in each case which are deeply concerning.
	Chen Guangcheng was for instance denied access to the lawyers of his choice at his trial on 24 August, which contravenes international fair trial standards. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary therefore welcomed news of Chen's quashed sentence in a statement on 2 November and urged the Chinese Government to guarantee due process at his retrial. Officials from our Embassy in Beijing applied for but were denied access to Chen's retrial on 27 November. We are concerned by reports that one of Chen's lawyers was again denied access to the court, and that key witnesses were detained, raising further doubts about the fairness of proceedings against him. We hope that his forthcoming appeal will be dealt with fairly and transparently. Zhao Yan's trial was held in closed court on 25 August and we remain concerned at serious procedural irregularities, as well as the lack of information on his conviction for "financial fraud". We are also concerned that Zhao's appeal was not granted a fair and thorough hearing on 2 December. We continue to urge China to prove its commitment to the rule of law through its handling of these cases and guarantee that international fair trial standards are enforced.

Cluster Munitions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to support the multilateral process led by the Norwegian Government to negotiate a prohibition on cluster munitions outside the framework of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Kim Howells: The UK recognises the humanitarian impact of unexploded ordnance, including cluster munitions. At the recent review conference for the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), the UK secured an agreement by consensus which included all major producers and users of cluster munitions. This will set up a discussion mandate that should lead to negotiations on a legally-binding protocol that addresses the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions. This approach is consistent with Kofi Annan's call at the conference for action within the existing CCW framework. If the process agreed within the CCW falters or fails, we will review our policy.

Darfur

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she plans to take concerning Darfur following the recent African Union Peace and Security Council meeting; and what assessment she has made of the effect on the prospects for long term peace and stability of the extension of the mandate of the current African Union peace mission in Darfur.

Ian McCartney: We welcome the decision of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) to extend the mandate of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). We will continue to press for the full implementation of the conclusions of the 30 November meeting of the PSC. It is crucial that AMIS is bolstered by the phased UN support package that was agreed by the PSC if it is to be effective in promoting peace and stability in Darfur. We will continue to press the Government of Sudan to agree to this, urge our international partners to do the same, and go on providing support to AMIS. The hybrid AU/UN force should have a mandate based on the key elements of UN Security Council Resolution 1706.

Darfur

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support she plans to commit to UN activities in Darfur following the proposals of the recent African Union Peace and Security Council meeting.

Ian McCartney: The African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) meeting on 30 November endorsed the conclusions of the High level Consultation on Darfur held in Addis Ababa on 16 November. This requires the UN and AU jointly to take forward the political process for Darfur and provides for a phased increase in UN support to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). The UK supports these outcomes, and is committed to supporting the AU and UN in their implementation. We are already a leading financial contributor to AMIS, providing 20m in financial assistance this year, and provide political, financial and practical support to the UN in Sudan.
	We also want to secure UN funding for the peace keeping proposals endorsed by the AU PSC in order to ensure the sustainability of peacekeeping in Darfur. The UK financial contribution to UN assessed costs is currently 7.4 per cent. At the request of the UN we are providing two police advisers to assist the UN advance team with planning for the hybrid force, in addition to two UK officers and one Ministry of Defence secondee already assisting the UN's Department for Peacekeeping Operations with planning for Sudan. The hybrid AU/UN forces should have a mandate based on the key elements of UN Security Council Resolution 1706.

Departmental Staff

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of her Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

Margaret Beckett: Two civil servants work full-time to support special advisers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Individual salaries cannot be disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

Energy

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with other Departments on UK energy security priorities under the German presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ian McCartney: UK energy security is a high priority for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as a whole. In the run-up to Germany taking over the presidency of the EU on 1 January, the FCO has been very active in engaging with other Government Departments on UK policy. Testament to the effective work we have done on this agenda were two important outcomes from informal European Council in October at Lahti: to link European policy on energy security and climate change more closely together so that the EU pursues an integrated policy; and a greater coherence among EU member states than there has been in the past on external energy security issues, e.g. our approach towards dealing with third country suppliers. This work has been particularly timely in relation to the European Commission's Strategic Energy Review, which will be published shortly and will help set further direction on energy and climate change policy during the German presidency. The FCO has been working with the Commission and EU member states to ensure that UK priorities are reflected in the Strategic Energy Review and other Commission papers such as the Energy Efficiency Action Plan.

Energy

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her objectives are on energy security during the German presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ian McCartney: The UK's objectives are to follow up on the agreement made by heads of the EU at Lahti to use EU external energy policy to deliver broader climate and energy security objectives. The strategic decisions we will take on energy in the next few months are an opportunity for the EU to deliver a future with a secure climate and secure energy. We aim to encourage EU leadership in tackling the linked issues of energy and climate security and to show EU citizens that we are on the front foot in shaping a low-carbon future. We must also speak with one voice on climate security, including with external partners—Russia, China and India and are confident that the German presidency will take this further. A milestone for achieving these objectives will be the spring European Council and we are pleased that Chancellor Merkel has said energy—and climate change—will be key element of this.

European Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which important constitutional implications arising from the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe would give rise to a commitment to holding a referendum.

Geoff Hoon: Under the UK's constitutional arrangements, there is no requirement to hold a referendum on the ratification of an EU Treaty. Indeed previous Governments have not sought to hold such a referendum. It is for Parliament to pass the necessary law.
	In certain cases the Government have recommended that particular arrangements should be subject to a referendum. It is for Parliament to decide whether to hold such a referendum, having regard to the particular circumstances of the case.
	In the case of the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe I refer the hon. Member to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 20 April 2004,  Official Report, columns 155-57.

Fiji

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of Fiji since the military coup.

Ian McCartney: We have had no contact with the Government of Fiji since the military coup on 5 December.
	On 5 December we issued a press statement condemning the military coup in Fiji as being wholly unconstitutional and calling for a return to democracy in Fiji as quickly as possible. A full copy of the statement can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMtarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391638&a=KArticle&aid=1163678514483.
	Following a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on 8 December, Fiji was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth. A full copy of the statement issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat can be found on the Commonwealth website at:
	http://www.thecommonwealth.org/document/34293/35144/157597/extraordinary_meeting_of_the_commonwealth_minister.htm.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by her Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Ian McCartney: The recorded spend on office and residential furniture, in the UK and overseas, for each financial year (FY) since 2000 for which information is available is provided as follows. We are unable to break it down by manufacturers, as we do not maintain this information.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 3.09 
			 2002-03 3.21 
			 2003-04 1.75 
			 2004-05 2.26 
			 2005-06 2.19

Iraq

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has held discussions with  (a) the Iraqi Government and  (b) coalition forces about the safety of Iraqi academics since 15 June; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held discussions with either the Iraqi Government or coalition forces about the safety of Iraqi academics since 15 June.
	In the current security environment it is difficult to obtain reliable statistics on the level of attacks against specific groups in Iraq. Although we are aware of reports of the difficulties faced by academics in working and living in Iraq, we do not have reliable and substantiated reports of specific threats against them. We continue to work with the Iraqi security forces to develop their capacity to provide security for all Iraqis.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many information technology projects within the responsibility of her Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The only significant IT contract cancelled by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1997 was the Focus Programme. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2044W.

Kenya

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received from the British High Commission in Nairobi on the use of tear gas by police officers at a recent demonstration in Nairobi; and if she will make representations to the Kenyan Government about human rights in that country.

Ian McCartney: We were concerned by the reports of opposition supporters in Kenya being tear-gassed by the police. Ministers and our High Commissioner in Nairobi continue to stress to the Kenyan Government that they, and other politicians, should respect freedom of speech and association and the rule of law in run up to next year's elections.

Landmines and Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Israeli Government on the use of  (a) anti-personnel landmines and  (b) cluster munitions in Southern Lebanon.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not herself discussed the use of anti-personnel landmines or cluster munitions in Southern Lebanon with the Israeli Government.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials continue regularly to raise our concern at the levels of unexploded ordnance in Southern Lebanon, and press the Israeli government to both make a statement about its use of cluster munitions in Lebanon and to do more to help the UN locate and eliminate this threat.
	We understand Israel has begun an inquiry into its use of cluster munitions. We hope this will be concluded quickly.
	During her recent visit to Beirut, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK is making an additional £1.2 million available to the UN Mines Advisory Service and the Mines Advisory Group for further munitions clearance work in Lebanon. This is comprised of £1 million to UN Mines Advisory Service and £0.2 million to the Mines Advisory Group. The UK has now committed a total of £2,782,000 for de-mining work in Lebanon this year.

Landmines and Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make an assessment of Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law in its use of  (a) anti-personnel landmines and  (b) cluster munitions in civilian areas in Southern Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The UK continues to raise its concerns with the Israeli Government at the levels of unexploded ordnance in south Lebanon. Recognising Israel's legitimate right to self-defence, the UK consistently urged Israel, during the conflict with Hezbollah earlier in the summer, to exercise utmost restraint and act in compliance with international humanitarian law.

Latin America

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with Latin American governments on tackling urban crime and gun violence.

Ian McCartney: Urban crime and gun violence are significant problems throughout much of Latin America and are issues that we discuss on a regular basis with the governments concerned. Latin America has some of the highest rates of gun violence in the world. In many opinion polls, tackling violent crime, often linked to the illegal drugs trade, ranks with unemployment as the main concern of citizens in a number of countries. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised security issues with the Colombian Government in his visit to the country in September, as did my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Dr. Howells), in his visit to Colombia and Venezuela in October.
	We want to help tackle these problems, and are supporting a range of projects that directly address them. Some examples include support for police reform in Venezuela, one of the worst affected countries, to improve the effectiveness of the police in tackling crime, plus support to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) addressing the threat of gun crime at community level; in Bolivia we are working with national and local authorities on projects to improve citizen security, community policing and crime prevention; and in Brazil we are working with NGOs and the police to improve security policy and tackle gun violence. We also encourage our partners to address the issue of small arms and light weapons, which contribute significantly to crime and violence in the region.

Leak Inquiries

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions her Department has conducted a leak inquiry since May 1997; what the subjects of those leak inquiries were; and who authorised each inquiry.

Ian McCartney: The Department has conducted 26 inquiries since May 1997. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the subject or outcome of leak inquiries as there is a continued necessity to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she was informed of the Middle East peace initiative launched by France, Spain and Italy at the Spanish-French summit on 16 November; and whether the UK Government was invited to contribute to the peace initiative.

Margaret Beckett: Other Governments were not informed in advance of the initiative. We have been consulting since with EU partners, most recently in discussion of the Middle East at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 11 December, to ensure a common approach that is constructive and has the support of all relevant parties.

Niger: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Niger about  (a) the status of women and  (b) female genital mutilation.

Ian McCartney: The Government have held no recent discussions with the Nigerien Government about the status of women and female genital mutilation. We have, however, supported EU representations to the Nigerien Government in the past on broader human rights issues, most recently in June.

Official Publications

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to whom her Department sent copies of unprinted Command Paper 72 of Session 1999-2000, on Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties.

Margaret Beckett: The Government's Response to the Procedure Committee's Second Report of Session 1999-2000, Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties, (HC 210) was laid before the House as an unnumbered Command Paper on 31 October 2000. Two copies were laid before each House, and 100 further copies were sent to the Vote Office where they were available for consultation.
	There is no information available to indicate whether separate copies of the above response were sent to any other addressees on or after 31 October 2000.
	I have placed a copy of the above response in the Libraries of both Houses. An electronic version was placed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website following presentation to the House, where it may be currently viewed at www.fco.gov.uk/treaty (section on UK Treaty Practice and Procedures).

Oslo Convention

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will attend the meeting of states party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons in Oslo in February.

Kim Howells: As yet, no invitation to any meeting on cluster munitions in Oslo has been received. We will carefully consider any invitation we receive.

Pakistan

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Government has had with the Government of Pakistan on the establishment of a permanent extradition treaty.

Kim Howells: We have been negotiating the text of an extradition treaty with the Government of Pakistan since 2003 in the Joint Judicial Co-operation Working Group (JJCWG). The JJCWG last met in Islamabad in July 2006. Discussions on the treaty are continuing.

Poland: Detention Centre

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she was first informed of the US detention centre in Poland; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In his speech of 6 September 2006, President Bush acknowledged the existence of a detention programme operated by the CIA. However, we have not been informed, nor are we otherwise aware, of the existence of any US detention centre in Poland.

Rwanda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether she has had discussions with the Government of Rwanda on  (a) the rights of Opposition politicians,  (b) the proscribing of political prisoners and  (c) the imprisonment of Opposition politicians;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the Government of Rwanda on  (a) good governance and  (b) respect for the human rights of Opposition politicians.

Ian McCartney: The Government are in regular discussion with the Rwandan authorities about the promotion of good governance, human rights and democratic freedoms. These issues were most recently raised when the Rwandan President called on my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development, and noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, during his visit to London from 3 to 6 December.

Rwanda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the level of  (a) political and  (b) press freedom in Rwanda.

Ian McCartney: Press freedom is enshrined in the Rwandan constitution and overseen by a High Press Council established with support from the Department for International Development. However, the misuse of the media in Rwanda, most notoriously the active role of Radio Television Milles Collines in promoting the ethnic hatred and killing during the genocide in 1994, has made the Rwandan Government sensitive to this issue and cautious about giving the media free rein.
	We believe that the Rwandan Government should continue to build on the progress made so far in Rwanda's transition to democracy. On 6 December, after meeting Rwandan President Kagame, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, called for civil society in Rwanda to play a broader role, and for a genuine debate on the political, economic and social future of the Rwandan people.

Rwanda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of tensions between ethnic groups in Rwanda on stability in that country.

Ian McCartney: The ethnically driven genocide of 1994, and other inter-ethnic fighting which pre-dated it, have clearly left their scars on Rwandan society. However, the current Rwandan Government has sought to promote inter-ethnic reconciliation; has taken legal action against those seeking to exacerbate ethnic tensions; and has ensured that the constitution views all Rwandans equally before the law.

Rwanda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the post-genocide reconciliation project in Rwanda.

Ian McCartney: We believe the progress made in reconstruction, reconciliation and poverty reduction in Rwanda since the 1994 genocide is truly remarkable. However, much remains to be done, and it will be a long time before the scars of this terrible episode are fully healed. The UK is committed to do all it can to help in this process.

Sierra Leone

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total cost was of the indemnification of Sir Thomas Legg for contingent liability during his Sierra Leone investigations; and what the reason was for providing such indemnification.

Ian McCartney: As is normal practice in investigations of this kind, Sir Thomas Legg, Sir Robin Ibbs and the secretariat of the investigation were granted indemnity from any liability arising from legal action taken against them in relation to their inquiry into the Sierra Leone arms affair. This was done in the standard format as advised by HM Treasury solicitors. The indemnity came into force on 10 July 1998, and was granted to assist the quick, effective and unhindered completion of the report. Neither Sir Thomas Legg, nor the other parties covered by the indemnity, has had cause to invoke the indemnity, and so there has been no cost involved.

Simon Mann

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what access to consular services is available to Simon Mann, who is in prison in Zimbabwe.

Kim Howells: Mr. Mann has access to the same level of consular assistance as any other British national who is in prison. With all British nationals detained overseas, we aim to make contact within 24 hours of being told about the arrest, and visit as soon as possible. Throughout the duration of detention, our consular staff are there to provide support, take an interest in welfare and where appropriate consider approaching the local authorities if a prisoner is not treated in line with internationally accepted standards.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to promote peace and democracy in Somalia; what representations she has made to  (a) the United Nations and  (b) the Ethiopian Government on this issue; and what assessment she has made of the proposed UN resolution to partially lift the arms embargo on Somalia to allow for regional peacekeepers.

Ian McCartney: Together with our international partners we continue to support the Transitional Federal institutions, which are the internationally recognised means of restoring peace and democracy to Somalia. We work closely with partners in the UN Security Council and the International Contact Group on Somalia to try to achieve peace and stability there. We have close contact with the Government of Ethiopia about peace and stability in the horn of Africa and urge all countries in the region to respect the UN arms embargo on Somalia and to do nothing which could provoke violence there.
	We support UN Security Council resolution 1725, adopted unanimously on 6 December 2006, which authorises the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union to establish a protection and training mission in Somalia and endorses the specification in the IGAD Deployment Plan that those states that border Somalia would not deploy troops to Somalia.

Staff Grievances Review

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of the National Audit Office Review of the Handling of Staff Grievances at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Ian McCartney: Yes, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be placing a copy of the National Audit Office report in the Library of the House.

Thailand

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Government of Thailand on the treatment of Burmese refugees.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Bangkok regularly discusses the treatment of Burmese refugees with the Thai authorities, most recently on 28 November.

Timor-Leste

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she plans to make to the new special representative for Timor-Leste; what assessment she has made of the recent situation in Timor-Leste; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials plan to meet with the newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Atul Khare, before he departs to take up his position in Timor-Leste. They will stress the important role that the UN has to play in helping Timor-Leste to recover from the recent crisis, by providing high-level political support and institution building, and preparing the country for the national elections planned for April/May 2007.
	The situation in Timor-Leste has improved greatly since the height of the unrest in April/May. The Government of Timor-Leste, the international forces and the UN are working together to bring lasting peace and stability to Timor-Leste.

Vietnam

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Vietnamese government on the treatment of Protestants in the northern mountainous region; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The UK, with our EU partners, regularly raises human rights issues with the Vietnamese government. We remain concerned about the situation of non-recognised Protestant groups in Vietnam. Officials from our Embassy in Hanoi are in contact with Protestant Church leaders to keep abreast of developments. The EU will take the opportunity to again raise the issue of religious freedom with the Vietnamese government at the next EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue in Hanoi scheduled to take place on 20 December.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent by her Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Harriet Harman: My Department does not hold a central record of spend on furniture made by British firms. Such information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Judicial Co-operation

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which projects have operated in the UK under the EU funding stream judicial co-operation between national judges since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Various EU funding programmes exist which facilitate training and co-operation among national judges. Among activities promoted are training of national judges in EC competition law and judicial cooperation between national judges. This scheme began in 2002 and since then there have been nine British projects, as follows:
	 2002
	Association of European Competition Law Judges (AECLJ)
	 2003
	AECLJ, and
	Irish Centre of European Law
	 2004
	AECLJ, and
	British Institute of International and Comparative Law
	 2005
	AECLJ, and
	University of Oxford
	 2006
	AECLJ, and
	University of Oxford

Limitation Act

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to implement the Law Commission's recommendation to update the Limitation Act 1980 with respect to child abuse cases.

Harriet Harman: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given to my right hon. Friend the Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 348W, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) on 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 490W.

Rural Support

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what programmes her Department operates to provide particular provision in rural areas; and what the cost of such programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are committed to building a strong economy and fair society where there is opportunity and security for all. This commitment applies equally in rural and urban areas. The majority of this Department's programmes benefit both rural and urban areas. However, to provide information on the cost of these programmes in rural areas alone is possible only at disproportionate cost.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much in compensation payments has been paid by his Department since its establishment; and what the reason was for each payment.

John Prescott: Nothing.

Departmental Environment Impact

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures have been put in place to reduce the environmental impact of the running of his Department.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1614W, to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne). In addition, since 1 April 2006, all flights taken by central Government Ministers and civil servants on official business are being carbon off-set.

Departmental Gifts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which gifts have been given by his Department to third parties since its establishment; on what date each was given; what the reason was for giving each gift; and what the name was of the recipient.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 74W, to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton).

Ministerial Website

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many unique visits to his website have been recorded since it was put online.

John Prescott: My Department's website has recorded 2,771 separate visits and 6,836 page views since it went online in late August.

Schools

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues from the Department for Education and others on coordination of Government policy on schools.

John Prescott: I am deputy chair of the Cabinet Committee on Schools Policy. In addition, I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues. As has been the practice under previous administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees and to internal meetings is generally not disclosed, as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of discussion.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Service

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil service and government agency jobs were  (a) created in and  (b) relocated to York (i) in total and (ii) in the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton in each year since 1992.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to relocating 20,000 civil servants out of London and the South East by 2010. Pre-Budget report 2006 reported that over 10,500 posts have already been relocated. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has moved 75 posts to York and the Department for Constitutional Affairs has relocated one post to York.
	Questions  (a) and  (b) (ii) cannot be answered, as this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Civil Service

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the annual percentage change in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms was in Government expenditure on the central civil service, excluding agencies, in each year since 1997-98.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	A back series of Public Expenditure aggregates, in both cash and real terms, is published at Table 3.1 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2006 (Cm 6811) that has been placed in the Library of the House.
	We do not collect separate information on spending by executive agencies. Excluding this expenditure from Total Managed Expenditure could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	However, PESA Table 3.2 splits the back series by function in cash terms and Table 3.3 shows the same data in real terms.

European and UK Law

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the  (a) nature and  (b) extent is of liaison by civil servants with the European Commission prior to drafting domestic legislation; whether civil service guidelines exist on such liaison; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: The Government's approach to the preparation of primary legislation is set out in 'The Guide to Legislative Procedure', last published by the Cabinet Office in October 2004 and available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/secretariats/economic_and_domestic/legislative_programme/guide.asp
	Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	The formulation of purely domestic legislation would not involve any obligation to consult the European Commission. In the case of legislation implementing EU obligations, the EU instrument may require member states to provide copies of implementing rules to the Commission.

Local Authorities

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets her Department sets for local authorities.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office does not set any targets for local authorities.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost was of  (a) notional rent and capital charges and  (b) routine maintenance for (i) the ministerial flat above 10 Downing street and (ii) the three ministerial flats in Admiralty house in 2005-06.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 24 January 2005,  Official Report, column 136W.
	There was no expenditure on routine maintenance works for the flat above 10 Downing street in the financial year 2005-06.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much council tax is being paid on the empty ministerial residence in Admiralty house; and which Government Department is meeting the cost.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office is responsible for payment of council tax on the official residence in Admiralty house which is currently unoccupied. The residence which is in Westminster city council is in council tax band D.

Special Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the Labour party makes a financial contribution to the cost of any Government special adviser.

Hilary Armstrong: Special advisers are temporary civil servants employed to assist Ministers on matters of Government policy. It is for this reason that their salaries are paid from public funds.

Special Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister without Portfolio how many special advisers paid from public funds are working for her.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 86WS.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Consultants

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid to outside consultants and other bodies undertaking work on behalf of his Department in each year since 2000.

Gareth Thomas: The total spent each year on consultancy contracts by the Department of International Development (DFID) is as follows:
	
		
			  Total spend on consultants 
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 284 
			 2001-02 273 
			 2002-03 274 
			 2003-04 270 
			 2004-05 276 
			 2005-06 255 
		
	
	This includes both consultancy to deliver parts of our development programme (as covered in Statistics for International Development), where services are often provided to third parties such as recipient Governments, and consultancy to DFID as an organisation. It does not include all low value contracts issued by DFID departments and overseas offices, of which there are no consolidated records.

Departmental Staff

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the effective date is for annual pay awards to his Department's staff; and what the actual implementation date has been in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: Pay arrangements for the senior civil service (SCS) are managed centrally, with the effective date of pay awards being set at 1 April each year. Within DFID, salary increases are implemented on the recommendations of the SCS Pay Committee, following the completion of annual performance assessments for each member of the SCS.
	The implementation date of DFID's SCS pay awards in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Implementation date 
			 2002 September 
			 2003 September 
			 2004 June 
			 2005 July 
			 2006 May 
		
	
	Since 2001, DFID has had two three year pay agreements for staff below the SCS—covering the periods August 2001 to July 2004, and August 2004 to July 2007. The effective date of the award is set at 1 August each year. The actual implementation date in each of last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Implementation date 
			 2002 1 August 
			 2003 1 August 
			 2004 1 November 
			 2005 1 August 
			 2006 1 August

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-terrorism Legislation

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last three years the police have been obliged by the 28-day or 14-day limit to release terrorist suspects whom they wished to continue to detain beyond those limits for further investigation; and what the  (a) date and  (b) circumstances were of each such case which is not subject to ongoing legal proceedings.

Tony McNulty: The police do not centrally hold information on the release of terrorist suspects who they might wish to detain beyond the pre-charge detention period set out in legislation or the detailed circumstances of each case where a suspect is not charged.
	The 14 day detention period came into effect on 20 January 2004. Until 25 July 2006 (the date the 28 day detention period came into effect), 15 people were held for a maximum of 13-14 days. Of these 15 individuals, one was released without charge.
	The maximum period of detention pre-charge was extended to 28 days with effect from 25 July 2006. Until 30 September 2006, 10 people were held for longer than 14 days. Of these 10 individuals one was held for 14-15 days, three were held for 19-20 days and six were held for 27-28 days. Of the six individuals held for 27-28 days, three were released without charge.

Arrests

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was to process an arrest that did not subsequently lead to the person being charged or cautioned with any offence in each police authority area in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The information requested is not available centrally.

Asylum

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the review of the practice of giving two months' discretionary leave to remain (DLR) to regularise the stay of people who claim they have indefinite leave to remain but cannot provide evidence of this at a port of entry to report; and how many applications for DLR in these circumstances are on hold pending the review being completed.

Liam Byrne: A review of the guidance for UK immigration officers when dealing with passengers who are unable to provide evidence of their existing leave conditions at port will shortly be completed and the revised guidance will be published on the Home Office website early in the new year. Applications for leave to enter or for leave to remain are not on hold pending this review.

Asylum

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are seeking asylum in the UK from Darfur.

Liam Byrne: Data from a specific area or region (of a country) of origin of asylum seekers are not collated centrally and are therefore not available, the number of those who applied would only be available by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
	Information on asylum applications, by nationality, is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office research development and statistics directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what systems have been put in place by his Department to assess the safety and well being of failed Darfuri asylum applicants who are returned to Sudan.

Liam Byrne: We do not routinely monitor the return of individual failed asylum seekers and others who are removed from the UK. The asylum decision-making and independent appeals process exists to ensure that those who are at risk of persecution or serious mistreatment in their country of origin will not be removed there. However, if specific allegations are made that any returnee has experienced ill-treatment on return from the UK, these will be followed up through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a matter of urgency.

Asylum and Immigration Legislation: Children's Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the effect on children's social care services of supporting children from families with no recourse to public funds as a consequence of the implementation of section 54 of and schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 December 2006
	No discussions have been held with the Department of Health to discuss children's social care services and supporting children in connection with schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002—including the provision added to schedule 3 by section 9 of the 2004 Act. Policy for children's social care services is the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.

Asylum and Immigration Legislation: Children's Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many families he estimates are in Great Britain without recourse to public funds because of the implementation of section 54 of and schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 December 2006
	We estimate 30 families have had their asylum support withdrawn under the provisions of schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2003. Support continues to be available to minor dependants under sections 17 or 20 of the Children Act, and to families if there would otherwise be a breach of their human rights. There are no barriers to any affected families leaving the UK voluntarily.

Community Support Officers

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he made of the numbers of community support officers (CSOs) each police force in England and Wales would have employed by March 2008 had his national target of 24,000 CSOs remained in place.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The following table gives the estimated number each force would have employed by March 2008 to achieve a national target of 24,000 CSOs. A written ministerial statement on 27 November announced changes to this plan in the light of the progress that the police service has made towards delivering neighbourhood policing and requests from the service for greater flexibility.
	
		
			  PCSOs  March 2008 target 
			 Avon and Somerset 541 
			 Bedfordshire 199 
			 Cambridgeshire 287 
			 Cheshire 353 
			 City of London 118 
			 Cleveland 215 
			 Cumbria 170 
			 Derbyshire 288 
			 Devon and Cornwall 535 
			 Dorset 236 
			 Durham 263 
			 Dyfed-Powys 123 
			 Essex 547 
			 Gloucestershire 252 
			 Greater Manchester 1238 
			 Gwent 221 
			 Hampshire 539 
			 Hertfordshire 369 
			 Humberside 332 
			 Kent 571 
			 Lancashire 630 
			 Leicestershire 350 
			 Lincolnshire 233 
			 Merseyside 742 
			 Metropolitan 6,389 
			 Norfolk 280 
			 North Wales 248 
			 North Yorkshire 269 
			 Northamptonshire 213 
			 Northumbria 671 
			 Nottinghamshire 406 
			 South Wales 511 
			 South Yorkshire 521 
			 Staffordshire 339 
			 Suffolk 216 
			 Surrey 329 
			 Sussex 525 
			 Thames Valley 675 
			 Warwickshire 202 
			 West Mercia 388 
			 West Midlands 1,187 
			 West Yorkshire 1,097 
			 Wiltshire 206 
			 Total 24,024

Community Support Officers

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the most recent evaluation of the effectiveness of police community support officers was published by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 November 2006
	We published Home Office Research Study 297, 'A national evaluation of Community Support Officers' on 26 January 2006. The study showed that Police Community Support Officers are an important part of the extended police family and are key to the successful delivery of neighbourhood policing. By focusing on low level crime and antisocial behaviour they are improving residents' quality of life and restoring respect to local communities.

Consultants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 10 consultancy fees charged to his Department since May 1997 were the most expensive.

Liam Byrne: There is no central record for the Department and to examine all individual pieces of consultancy dating back to 1997 would incur a disproportionate cost. Requirements for consultants are subject to value for money reviews at the point of purchase.

Correspondence

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 16 October from the hon. Member for Buckingham on the case of Mr. Pshteuin Mohammed and Mrs. Ozlen Mohammed.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to the hon. Member for Buckingham on 8 December 2006.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to make his Department carbon neutral.

Liam Byrne: In a written statement to the House on 12 June 2006, a new set of sustainable operational targets for the central Government estate were announced. The new targets, to which the Home Office is committed, include a specific commitment for a carbon neutral Government office estate by 2012 and to reduce carbon emissions from offices by 30 per cent. by 2020.
	Carbon neutrality is about having zero net carbon dioxide emissions. This is achieved through a combination of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using renewable energy and offsetting the remaining balance. Carbon offsets are purchased to cover unavoidable emissions that result after all economically viable carbon savings have been made.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on external media trainers in each year since 2002, broken down by supplier.

Liam Byrne: The costs of Press Office media training are as follows:
	
		
			  Supplier  Total spend (£) 
			  2002-03(1) 14,764 
			   
			  2003-04(1) 22,226 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 1 21,084 
			 2 3,978 
			 3 2,172 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 1 121,298 
			 4 708 
			 3 1,053 
			 (1) The figures quoted for financial years 2002-03 and 2003-04 are gross totals for each year; a breakdown by supplier for these years is no longer available. 
		
	
	The costs cover the main media training suppliers used by the Press Office.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether people employed  (a) through employment agencies and  (b) on a consultancy basis are included in the calculations for the full-time equivalent staff mentioned in his Department's annual report.

Liam Byrne: Neither  (a) nor  (b) are included in the full-time equivalent staff figures published in the Department's annual report.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's annual budget is for employing workers on a consultancy basis; and how much of this budget was used in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not hold a centralised budget for employing workers on a consultancy basis. Responsibility for allocating budgets between different expenditure types, including consultancy, is held by budget managers also covering programmes and projects to whom budgetary responsibility is sub-delegated.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks take place on persons entering the employ of his Department to ensure that they have legal right of abode and work; what categories of employee have to sign papers indicating that they have such rights; what category of worker has not been required to provide documentary proof; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: All staff, whether employed directly by the Home Office or as contractors, are required to provide evidence of their identity, nationality and immigration status before taking up appointment. In the case of contract staff, these checks are carried out by their employers under section 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1996. It is an offence to employ a person aged 16 or over, who is subject to immigration control and who is not entitled to work in the United Kingdom or to undertake the employment in question.

Departmental Staff

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office has set a default retirement age of 65 for staff below the senior civil service.

DNA Database

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals convicted before the creation of the DNA database in 1995 had given a DNA sample to police.

John Reid: holding answer 23 November 2006
	2,460 DNA samples are held from the period before 1995. As personal information such as names was not stored at that time for legal reasons, a number of these may be duplicates (i.e. more than one sample may be stored from the same person).

DNA Database

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people not convicted of a crime in respect of the matter for which they were first required to provide a sample for the DNA database have subsequently been convicted of a crime;
	(2)  how many people who have not been convicted of a crime are on the DNA database, broken down by police force.

John Reid: holding answers 23 November 2006
	The national DNA database records the DNA profile for a particular individual. It does not hold data on arrest and criminal records. This information is held on the Police National Computer (PNC). At present the facilities do not exist on PNC to provide the information requested.
	Since May 2001, about 200,000 DNA samples taken from people charged with offences have been retained, which would previously have had to be destroyed because of the absence of a conviction. From these, approximately 8,500 profiles of individuals have been linked with other crime scene stains, involving nearly 14,000 offences. These offences included 114 murders, five attempted murders, 116 rapes, 68 sexual offences and 119 aggravated burglaries.
	Since April 2004, DNA profiles of arrested persons who have not been proceeded against have also been retained. This has resulted in matches with crime scene profiles from over 3,000 offences including 37 murders, 16 attempted murders, 90 rapes and 1,136 burglary offences. These links may not have been made if the power to take a DNA sample on arrest had not been implemented.

Domestic Disturbance

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic disturbance calls were made to the police from Eastbourne constituency in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office does not routinely collect data on calls to the police for assistance. However, Sussex police have been able to provide the following statistics on the number of domestic incidents recorded by the police within the borough of Eastbourne during successive calendar years.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 1,061 
			 2003 1,042 
			 2004 1,186 
			 2005 1,243 
			 2006 (up to 4 December 2006) 1,315

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the number of domestic violence victims held in prisons in a year; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons carry out confidential surveys of the experiences of women in each prison inspected. The surveys indicate that nearly half of the women interviewed have experienced domestic violence (and a third, sexual assault).
	This is broadly consistent with other surveys, including the Women in Prison survey in Her Majesty's Prison Holloway, where 36 per cent. of women disclosed experience of sexual abuse in childhood, and 45 per cent. said that they had experienced physical abuse. Furthermore, 60 per cent. of women using one of the 'Women in Prison' services in Holloway disclosed domestic violence voluntarily.
	It is vital that the resettlement work with these women is geared to meeting their multiple needs. To help achieve this, we have the national Women's Offending Reduction Programme, which encourages joint working between Departments, agencies and other organisations, to tackle the range of factors which impact on women's offending.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what external monitoring is planned for the National Delivery Plan for Domestic Violence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Delivery Plan for Domestic Violence is outcome-based, and aims to achieve the following key outcomes:
	1. to reduce the number of domestic violence-related homicides;
	2. to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence, particularly in high incidence areas and/ or communities;
	3. to increase the rate at which domestic violence is reported, particularly in high incidence areas and/ or communities;
	4. to increase the rate of reported domestic violence offences that are brought to justice, particularly in high incidence areas and/ or communities, as well as in areas with high attrition rates; and
	5. to ensure victims of domestic violence are adequately protected and supported nationwide.
	Data are collected locally on progress towards achieving these outcomes. This includes:
	the Police Performance Assessment Framework is used to monitor and performance manage arrests for domestic violence incidents;
	CPS data shows that successful domestic violence prosecutions have increased from 53 per cent. in December 2004 to 55 per cent. by April 2005 and 59.7 per cent. by April 2006 (the target for March 2007 is 62 per cent.);
	the matrix of government funded helplines is being monitored through their provision of call statistics;
	the Independent Domestic Violence Advisor/ Independent Sexual Violence Advisor programme as are being evaluated by the Home Office and the Hestia Foundation; and
	we are planning three pieces of research around lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims' needs, the needs of male victims of domestic violence and the needs of victims from black and minority ethnic communities.

Drug Offences

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of drug offences in the Humberside Police Authority area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Available information relates to the number of persons cautioned and found guilty for drug offences in the Humberside police force area under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, from 1997 up to and including 2004.
	Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, police forces and other agencies. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

EU Migrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the studies he has used to estimate numbers of EU migrants from future accession EU countries; and what estimates were contained in each study.

Liam Byrne: The Department has not commissioned research into the likely numbers of individuals coming to the United Kingdom from future accession countries. Any estimates of migrants coming to the UK would be affected by: the functioning of the countries' economies at the time of accession, the level of access granted to the UK labour market and the decisions of other member states on labour market access.

External Border Agency

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU legislation for the External Border Agency; what its legal base is; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the Handbook for Border Guards.

Liam Byrne: We are currently assessing the implications of the proposed legislation (15745/06 - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a mechanism for the creation of Rapid Border Intervention Teams and amending Council Regulation (EC) 2007-2004 as regards that mechanism), whose legal basis is Articles 62(2)(a) and 66 Treaties of the European Community (TEC). I will place a copy of the Handbook for Border Guards in the Library.

Firearms Certificates

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many firearms certificates were reported as lost in the post in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse was of replacing firearms certificates lost in the post in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not available centrally.

Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to request compensation from the company running the Harmondsworth immigration removal centre in connection with the incident on 28 November; and what provisions exist for his Department to impose fines for such incidents.

Liam Byrne: The disturbance at Harmondsworth immigration centre on 28 November will be fully investigated and any contractual decisions concerning the operation at Harmondsworth in connection to the incident will be taken in light of the report.
	The operating contracts between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the private sector contractors that operate the IND removal centres contain performance measurement mechanisms that impose performance points where services are not provided that result in financial deductions from the contractor's operating fees. The total loss of the service results in total loss of the contractor's fees for the relevant period of unavailability of service.

Highly-skilled Migrant Programme

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely impact of changes to the highly skilled migrant programme on economic migration within the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Migrants currently in the UK under the highly skilled migrant programme (HSMP) can apply to extend their leave. The rules for the highly skilled migrant programme extension applications have recently been amended to ensure that applicants already in the UK under the programme have been making, and can continue to make, a contribution to the UK economy. The changes were based on a thorough analysis of the HSMP criteria.
	Individuals applying to extend their leave to remain in the UK under the HSMP must now achieve a minimum of 75 points against robust points scoring criteria (qualifications, previous earnings, age and UK experience) and must also meet a mandatory English language requirement. The points scoring structure is flexible and is based on criteria that will indicate success in the labour market. If an applicant claims fewer points in one area, they can make up for it by claiming more points in another.

Highly-skilled Migrant Programme

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in the UK who qualify under the highly skilled migrant programme live or work in  (a) London,  (b) the South West and  (c) elsewhere in the UK.

Liam Byrne: The highly skilled migrant programme (HSMP) is designed to give highly skilled individuals the opportunity to come to the UK to seek work without having a prior offer of employment. Data are not collected about where those individuals eventually choose to live or work.

Human Trafficking

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the UK Action Plan on Trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently developing the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking which will be published early next year. The process involves discussion with stakeholders, relevant experts, and other government departments and agencies.

Human Trafficking

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expect to publish their Response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights' Report 'Human Trafficking', HC 1127-1.

Vernon Coaker: The Government's response to the Joint Committee on Human Rights report will be laid before Parliament on 19 December 2006.

Human Trafficking

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his counterparts in  (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and  (b) the Department of Trade and Industry on signing the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Vernon Coaker: I chair an Inter-Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking which co-ordinates work on this issue across Government. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Trade and Industry both sit on the Group.

Identity Card

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors were taken into account when deciding not to include optimism bias adjustments in scheme benefit analyses of the proposed identity card project; what effect optimism bias adjustments would have on the analyses based on Treasury baseline principles; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The section 37 cost report, published in October, presented an estimate of benefits in a range of £1 billion-1.7 billion per annum. This presentation which excluded optimism bias is consistent with Her Majesty's Treasury guidance for the current stage of the programme. If we had chosen to incorporate optimism bias, this would have reduced the figures by 10 per cent. The national identity scheme would still have a strong economic justification even if the quantified benefits were at the lower end of the range and the 10 per cent. reduction was applied.

Identity Card

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether UK citizens will be charged under the proposed national identity card scheme for requiring a new card due to  (a) accidental loss of a card,  (b) change of address and  (c) theft of a card.

Joan Ryan: With regard to change of address, I would refer the hon. Member to my answer to his previous question on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 392W.
	With regard to other changes of information that, unlike address changes, are likely to involve a change of card, a schedule of fees has not yet been decided and will depend on the outcome of procurement processes related to the national identity scheme. Fees will be set out in regulations under section 35 of the Identity Cards Act. It is likely that a charge will be made to replace lost and stolen cards, as is currently the case with passports.

Identity Card

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 776W, on identity cards and passports, who the  (a) manufacturer and  (b) supplier was of each piece of software; and what the cost was of each piece of software.

Joan Ryan: The manufacturer, supplier and cost of each piece of software noted in the answer provided on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 776W, is as follows:
	
		
			  Software  'Manufacturer'  Supplier  Cost (£) 
			 DOORS Telelogic PA Consulting 134,693 
			 DOORS Telelogic Telelogic 5,400 
			 CompanyWatch CompanyWatch CompanyWatch 35,000 
			 Changedirector Sigma and Changedirector UK Sigma (1)— 
			 (1) Provided free of charge (included with other consulting work)

Immigration Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times exceptional circumstances required Ministers to authorise the detention of families with children for more than 28 days in an immigration detention centre between 1 January and 31 October 2006.

Liam Byrne: Local management information indicates that 63 families with children required ministerial authorisation for continued detention beyond 28 days between 1 January 2006 and 31 October 2006.
	The figures provided do not constitute part of National Statistics as it is based on management information. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional.
	Quarterly snapshots are published in the quarterly asylum bulletin, showing the number of people detained under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter. Statistics on the total number of persons leaving detention each quarter are also published in the quarterly asylum bulletin.
	Published editions of this bulletin and other information on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's research development and statistics website at:
	<http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html>.

Intercept Evidence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases since the coming into force of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 intercept evidence has been admitted on the grounds that it came within section  (a) 18(1)(a) and  (b) 18(1)(b) of that Act.

Tony McNulty: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The information is not collected centrally.
	 (b) None.

Intercept Evidence

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government expect to conclude their review of the use of intercept evidence in court; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The Home Office is leading work on a legal model to develop the safeguards that would be required before the Government consider changing the law to allow intercept evidence. A report, originally expected in November, is expected by the end of the year.

Leak Inquiries

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions his Department has conducted a leak inquiry since May 1997; what the subjects were of these leak inquiries; and who authorised each inquiry.

Liam Byrne: Since 1997 the Department has investigated 93 apparent leaks of information on a range of Home Office subjects some relating to National Security issues. Normally the Permanent Secretary authorises such inquiries.

Leave to Remain

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the requirement to speak English for those seeking indefinite leave to remain in the UK will apply to individuals coming into the UK through arranged marriages.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The requirement to demonstrate knowledge of life in the UK and knowledge of the English language will apply to those who seek indefinite leave to remain under the immigration rules on the basis of marriage to a person settled here. Such individuals are usually admitted to the UK for two years in the first instance which should provide sufficient time for applicants to develop the required English language skills. Those who do not will be entitled to apply for and receive further periods of leave to remain during which they should take steps to develop their English language skills if they would like to apply again for indefinite leave to remain. These arrangements, which will come into force on 2 April 2007, will apply irrespective of whether the marriage is an arranged marriage or not.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which fundraising organisations in the UK have been identified as having links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Liam Byrne: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were proscribed under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in March 2001.
	Under the Terrorism Act 2000 it is unlawful to raise funds for a proscribed group. Any organisation providing funding to LTTE would therefore be subject to criminal investigation. Such an investigation, and any subsequent prosecution, would be a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

National Single Non-emergency Number

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the national single non-emergency number will be available throughout England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: A full evaluation of the 101 service in wave one areas, including costs and benefits, will be available in the autumn of 2007; the outcome of this evaluation will inform the future development of the programme.

Northamptonshire Police

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of  (a) formula grant and  (b) one-off or special grant Northamptonshire police force has received in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Government funding for Northamptonshire police authority 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  £ million 
			   General formula grant( 1)  Specific grants and capital provision( 2)  Total grants 
			 2002-03 59.3 5.1 64.4 
			 2003-04 62.2 9.3 71.5 
			 2004-05 64.3 8.3 72.6 
			 2005-06 67.8 8.8 76.6 
			 2005-06(3) 67.2 — — 
			 2006-07 69.2 11.0 80.2 
			 (1) General grant includes Home Office police grant and Department for Communities and Local Government revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates. (2 )Includes: Crime fighting fund, basic command unit funding, community support officer funding, neighbourhood policing fund, rural policing fund, special priority payments, forensic DNA expansion grant and capital grant. (3) The police standards unit have been working with Northamptonshire police since spring 2004 on a number of projects to help improve performance. The force has been provided with £0.8 million for 2004-05, £1.2 million for 2005-06 and an estimated £0.5 million for 2006-07 in project funding. (included above). Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006-07.

Northamptonshire Police

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of grant aid Northamptonshire police has received in relation to formula funding in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Formula grant for Northamptonshire 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   General formula grant( 1 ) (£ million) 
			 2002-03 59.3 
			 2003-04 62.2 
			 2004-05 64.3 
			 2005-06 67.8 
			 2005-06(2) 67.2 
			 2006-07 69.2 
			 (1) General Formula grant includes Home Office Police grant and Department for Communities and Local Government Revenue Support Grant and National non-domestic rates. (2) Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006-07.

Online Job Applications

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on  (a) the provision of online information and application forms for job applicants and  (b) equal opportunities to apply for those without access to the internet in respect of (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies, with particular reference to the practice of the new Isle of Wight Passport and Identity Office.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The Home Office which includes Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Prison Service and its agencies routinely advertise external vacancies online. The website contains information about the 'Guaranteed Interview Scheme' and our commitment to fair and open competition as defined by the 'Civil Service Recruitment Code'. Candidates, including those applying for posts at the new Isle of Wight Identity and Passport interview office, who are unable to access the internet have the option of contacting the recruitment provider for a hard copy of the application form and any additional candidate information.

Organised Crime

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his  (a) Bulgarian and  (b) Romanian counterparts on serious and organised crime.

Vernon Coaker: Home Office Ministers have frequent discussions with Bulgarian and Romanian Ministers on a range of issues including serious and organised crime. These discussions take place during inward visits to the UK (most recently for example, Baroness Scotland met the Romanian Minister of Justice in October), in multilateral fora, and during visits to the region. Most recently, the former Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Charles Clarke), visited both countries in April 2006.

Police

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidelines his Department has issued on the circumstances in which the exigency of duty rule is deployed by managers to alter shift rosters of police officers;
	(2)  how many complaints he has received about the exigency of duty rule in overriding existing official shift rosters in the last two years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 7 December 2006
	It is for the Chief Officer of the individual force to determine whether a specific incident requires police officers to be deployed under the exigency of duty rule.

Police

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure by the Cambridgeshire constabulary was under the headings  (a) non-incident linked paperwork,  (b) checking paperwork (supervisory),  (c) robberies,  (d) house burglaries and  (e) violent crime identified by the recent Activity Based Costing review for 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The information was not gathered by Cambridgeshire constabulary and has not been provided to the Home Office.

Police

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice or guidelines his Department has issued to local police forces on the working relationship between the police force and media professionals.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has not issued specific advice or guidelines to local police forces on their working relationship with media professionals.

Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent front line police officers there were per head of population in Thames Valley police force, broken down by basic command unit in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The available data for operational police officers are given in the tables. Boundary changes for Thames Valley police force came into place on 1 April 2005. Statistics for operational police officers per 100,000 of the population as at 31 March 2006 are given in the tables. Available population data are not comparable to basic command units prior to boundary changes.
	
		
			  Table 1: Operational police officer strength (FTE)( 1)  for Thames Valley police force, by BCU as at 31 March 2004 to 31 March 2005 
			   31 March each year: 
			   2004  2005 
			 Aylesbury Vale 196 207 
			 Central Services 853 852 
			 Chiltern Vale 303 331 
			 Milton Keynes 345 346 
			 Northern Oxfordshire 277 261 
			 Oxford 293 286 
			 Reading and Wokingham 422 426 
			 Slough and District 292 291 
			 Southern Oxfordshire 262 273 
			 Thames Forest 332 348 
			 West Berkshire 178 169 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Operational police officers (FTE)( 1)  per 100,000 of the population( 2 ) for Thames Valley police force, by BCU as at 31 March 2006 
			   Number 
			 Berkshire East 163 
			 Berkshire West 136 
			 Buckinghamshire 121 
			 Milton Keynes 168 
			 Oxfordshire 131 
			 Central Services(3) 163 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. This figure includes those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Population data taken from ONS mid-2004 estimates and recalculated for basic command units. (3) Population data are not available for Central Services as this BCU does not reflect a geographic boundary.

Prison Service

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Irish nationals are held in each place of detention on the prison estate.

Liam Byrne: At the end of October 2006 there were some 690 Irish national prisoners held in prison establishments in England and Wales.
	The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately by nationality within individual prison establishment because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
	Information on the numbers of Irish national prisoners held in prison establishments in Scotland and Northern Ireland can be obtained from the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
	The figure quoted has been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Probation Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many targets his Department set for the National Probation Service in the latest year for which figures are available; and which of those targets have been reached.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The National Probation Service has been set a total of 14 performance targets for 2006-07. The targets cover the key objectives of protecting the public and reducing re-offending while reflecting the priority given to work with offenders on matters such as accommodation; education, training and employment; health and drugs and alcohol, as well as addressing the needs of victims.
	Details of the performance of the 42 Probation Areas in England and Wales against the performance targets and measures set for the service are published on a quarterly basis in National Probation Service Performance Reports. The reports are public documents and are posted on the NPS website at:
	http://www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk/output/page34.asp
	The latest report (22) shows that the National Probation Service had met or exceeded nine of the 13 performance targets for the first six months of 2006-07. (Data on the regionally set employment targets for minority ethnic staff will not be available until the new year when the census returns are made. This target has been met in each of the previous years since monitoring began and it is envisaged that it will be met again this year).

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office conducts a wide range of research activities that support the development of information-led policy, including surveys of public opinion that consider Home Office issues and its related areas of responsibility.
	The Department commissions such work only when it is justified by the specific needs of a particular policy or programme and when this is the most economic, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose. Consulting and involving the public helps inform both policy formulation and delivery of better quality public services.
	Research programmes are often complex and combine a mixture of quantitative and qualitative elements. It is therefore not possible to break down the costs of opinion polling from the overall cost of a research project. It has therefore not been possible to provide the breakdown requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Recruitment

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office, which includes Immigration and Nationality Directorate and the Prison Service, but not its agencies, does not hold this information centrally and to provide a breakdown as requested could be supplied only at disproportionate costs.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) non-departmental public bodies and  (b) Executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Liam Byrne: The majority of the Department's services are arranged nationally. However, in bringing increased local focus to delivering public priorities, since 1999, the Home Office has established the following regional bodies:
	149 drug action teams in England were first established in 1995, but realigned with local authority boundaries in April 2002.
	Also the bodies in the following table have been closed or reclassified since 1997:
	
		
			  Name  Date closed 
			 Holocaust Memorial Day Project Delivery Co-ordination Group. Replaced by the "Holocaust Memorial Day Trust" which is an independent charity under the Charity Commission 2005 
			 Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet (reclassified an informal expert stakeholder group) (1)2005 
			 Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (1)2005 
			 Community Builders Group (2)2004 
			 Criminal Records Bureau—Consultative Panel (formerly Customer Forum) 2004 
			 Firearms Consultative Committee 2004 
			 Police Complaints Authority 2004 
			 Advisory Board of Restricted Patients 2003 
			 Community Capacity Building Group 2003 
			 Fundamental Review of the Coroners System 2003 
			 Group on Developing Capacity in the Voluntary and Community Sector 2003 
			 Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime 2003 
			 Retail Crime Reduction Action Team (RCRAT) 2003 
			 Working Group on Police Performance and Best Value 2003 
			 Criminal Records Bureau—Ministerial Advisory Board 2002 
			 Property Crime Reduction Action Team 2002 
			 Working Group on Resourcing Community Capacity 2002 
			 Home Secretary's Mobile Phone Theft Group 2001 
			 National Crime Reduction Task Force 2001 
			 Working Group on Misuse of Public Office 2001 
			 Active Community Unit Research Forum 2000 
			 Interception of Communications Tribunal 2000 
			 Intelligence Services Tribunal 2000 
			 Security Service Tribunal (Items No. 22-24 were replaced by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal under S65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) 2000 
			 Metropolitan Police Committee 2000 
			 Review of the Law Relating to Involuntary Manslaughter 2000 
			 The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board 2000 
			 Review of the Law Relating to Criminal Memoirs 1998 
			 Misuse of Drugs Advisory Body 1998 
			 Misuse of Drugs Professional Panel 1998 
			 Misuse of Drugs Tribunal 1998 
			 Steering Group on the Lawrence Inquiry Action Plan 2006 
			 (1) Reclassified (2) Renamed

Ship Weddings

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to permit captains to officiate at weddings on British registered ships.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have no plans to amend legislation to allow captains to officiate at weddings on British registered ships.

South Yorkshire Constabulary

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the recent Muslim summit entitled Advancing Community Cohesion organised by South Yorkshire police was; what proportion of this cost is being borne by South Yorkshire Constabulary; and whether plans exist in the area to hold community cohesion conferences with members of the Christian community.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 December 2006
	 : These are matters for the chief constable of the South Yorkshire police, which organised the Advancing Community Cohesion event.

Special Branch

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Special Branch officers there are per capita in each police force area in England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: Following consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the above mentioned functions were highlighted and deemed likely to prejudice the prevention or detection of crime and therefore have not been disclosed within the public domain.

Tablighi Jamaat

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the extent to which Tablighi Jamaat poses a security risk to the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. member to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Communities and Local Government on 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 905W.

Temporary Admissions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people granted temporary admission to the UK have not reported back on their due date in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as a full search of individual files and records over the last five years would need to be conducted.

Travel Bans

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK  (a) residents and  (b) nationals are listed as subject to EU travel bans directed against terrorist organisations.

Liam Byrne: EU Common Position 2002/402/CFSP is directed against terrorist organisations and applies to those individuals listed under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267(1999). The latest list of individuals (dated 9 November 2006) subject to restrictive travel measures is available at the following website:
	http://www.un.Org/Docs/sc/committees/1267/1267ListEng.htm.

Vehicle Immobilisers

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicle immobilisers have been prosecuted for working on private land without a licence from the Security Industry Association since the inception of licensing.

Vernon Coaker: Prosecutions can be undertaken by Police and Trading Standards as well as the Security Industry Authority. However details are not kept centrally.

Wounding Victims

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims there were of  (a) unlawful wounding and  (b) wounding with intent, broken down by age of the victim in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: There are no centrally collected data available on the number of victims of unlawful wounding or wounding with intent broken down by age.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Administration Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the administration of his Department and its agencies was in each year since 1995-96 in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms; and what the planned costs are in each year to 2008-09 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service. Therefore data are not available in the format requested for all years from 1995-96.
	The Departmental Report for 2006 (Cm 6829) is available in the Library and contains administration costs for the years 2000-01 to 2007-08 for the Department for Work and Pensions in cash terms. The following table shows this information and provides the same data in real terms.
	
		
			  DWP Total administration costs 
			  £ million 
			Nominal (cash)( 1)  In real terms( 2) 
			 2000-01 outturn 4347 4947 
			 2001-02 outturn 4830 5369 
			 2002-03 outturn 5607 6045 
			 2003-04 outturn 5949 6229 
			 2004-05 outturn 5988 6102 
			 2005-06 estimated outturn 5936 5936 
			 2006-07 plans 5831 5692 
			 2007-08 plans 5794 5509 
			 (1) Source Departmental Report 2006 (Cm 6829) (2) Calculated using HMT GDP deflators using 2005-06 as the reference year. 
		
	
	The Department's Total Administration expenditure plans for 2008-09 will not be available until the final outcome of the CSR07 spending review is known.
	A major programme to modernise the Department's front line services, supported by one off investment funding, contributed to the increase in administration costs up to 2004-05.

Benefit Claimants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the claimant on-flow rates to  (a) incapacity benefit and  (b) severe disablement allowance were in each month since January 2005.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table. Severe disablement allowance has been closed to new claimants since April 2001.
	
		
			  The on flow-rates for incapacity benefit 
			  Month ending  IB 
			 January 2005 59,000 
			 February 2005 49,200 
			 March 2005 52,500 
			 April 2005 55,200 
			 May 2005 51,400 
			 June 2005 51,900 
			 July 2005 52,200 
			 August 2005 50,500 
			 September 2005 54,000 
			 October 2005 52,200 
			 November 2005 50,300 
			 December 2005 43,900 
			 January 2006 53,200 
			 February 2006 44,600 
			 March 2006 47,100 
			 April 2006 38,000 
			 May 2006 27,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Figures for the last months do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters. For illustration purposes, total terminations for 01 March 2004 to 31 May 2004 increased by 33 per cent. in the year following their initial release.  3. A small number of SDA claimants have their claim deleted and rebuilt on the system each year.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample and 5 per cent. terminations dataset.

Child Poverty

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of children in poverty  (a) whose parents were in work and  (b) whose resident parent was in work lived in (i) lone parent households and (ii) non-lone parent households in each year for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: The information requested is not available.

Christchurch Jobcentre Plus

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the business case for the closure of the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus was submitted to the Jobcentre Plus Board; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that business case.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 28 November 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14 December 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking on what date the business case for the closure of the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus was submitted to the Jobcentre Plus Board and if he will place in the library a copy of that business case. This is something, which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus in Dorset and Somerset is still in the process of reviewing and finalising its Service Delivery Plan of the whole of the District. The aim of this review is to ensure that the network of Jobcentre Plus offices provides sufficient capacity for potential customers. Christchurch Jobcentre Plus will be considered as part of this review.
	Consequently, the final set of proposals relating to the whole of the District and the possible future of Christchurch Jobcentre Plus has not yet been put to the Jobcentre Plus Board. I am sorry if my Jobcentre Plus Programme Director's letter of 6 November to you was unclear on this point. If the Jobcentre Plus Board agreed that there is a case for any office closure a submission is then made to the Minister to seek approval to start a consultation period. If after this exercise it is still felt that closure is warranted then a further submission is made to the Minister for his consideration. Therefore, there is a lengthy and detailed consideration of any closure proposal before a final decision is made.
	In the case of Dorset and Somerset District it is likely that the revised Service Delivery Plan will be put to the Jobcentre Plus Board within the next month.

Christchurch Jobcentre Plus

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people visited the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office in October to see advisers;
	(2)  what the cost has been of  (a) refurbishment and  (b) equipment renewal at the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office in each of the last seven years;
	(3)  what the annual running costs have been of the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office in each of the last three years;
	(4)  what the gross area of the Jobcentre Plus office in Christchurch is; what  (a) rent and  (b) rates are payable; how many employees work (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in the office; and how many years of the lease on the site remain;
	(5)  how many people visited the Christchurch Job Centre Plus office in October 2006 to use  (a) self-service job points and  (b) telephones.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Christchurch Jobcentre was refurbished as a Jobcentre Plus office, opening on 26 January 2004. During October 2006, 176 interviews took place with advisers in the Christchurch Jobcentre Plus office.
	Jobcentre Plus is not required to collect information on the number of people who visit their offices. However, the manager of the Christchurch office arranged for an exercise to be undertaken in October 2006 to establish how many people visited the office. This showed that there were over 1,200 visits by customers to the Christchurch office to use the jobpoints or the free telephones. We are not able to confirm how many of these visits were unique or repeat visits.
	For the national roll out of Jobcentre Plus approximately £320,000 was spent on the refurbishment of the Christchurch office. This is the only cost incurred in the last seven years. We pay an annual charge to Land Services Trillium to manage our estate, which includes the costs of replacing any premises equipment. Our IT equipment costs are charged at a national level through our contract with EDS, this figure is not broken down by site, therefore I am unable to provide site specific information about this.
	The running costs for the Christchurch office, excluding staffing, are as follows:
	
		
			 2004-05 £180,439 
			 2005-06 £192,336 
			 2006-07 Costs are expected to be approximately £208,000 
		
	
	The Christchurch office is 574 square metres. For the operational year 2006-07 the rent for the building will be £182,620 and the business rates will be £19,620. Seven full-time staff and four part-time staff are currently based at the office. The leases on our buildings are the responsibility of our partner organisation Land Securities Trillium. If we wish to vacate the premises we are required to give notice to Land Securities Trillium. It is then for them to sublet the building if there is any remaining time left on the lease. In the case of the Christchurch office we are required to give 12 months notice if we wish to vacate the premises.
	I hope this is helpful.

Christmas Bonus

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  in which year the Christmas bonus was first paid to those in receipt of qualifying benefits; and what its value was in each year since its introduction in  (a) cash terms and  (b) real terms using 2004-05 prices;
	(2)  what the total cost of the Christmas bonus payment was in each year since its introduction.

James Purnell: The Christmas bonus was first paid in 1972.
	The requested information is in the following tables.
	
		
			   Christmas bonus rate payable in nominal terms (£)  Christmas bonus rate payable real terms (£) 2004-05 prices 
			 1972-73 10 85.50 
			 1973-74 10 78.40 
			 1974-75 10 66.90 
			 1975-76 0 0 
			 1976-77 0 0 
			 1977-78 10 39.90 
			 1978-79 10 37.10 
			 1979-80 10 31.80 
			 1980-81 10 27.50 
			 1981-82 10 24.70 
			 1982-83 10 23.00 
			 1983-84 10 21.80 
			 1984-85 10 20.90 
			 1985-86 10 19.70 
			 1986-87 10 19.10 
			 1987-88 10 18.40 
			 1988-89 10 17.40 
			 1989-90 10 16.10 
			 1990-91 10 14.50 
			 1991-92 10 14.00 
			 1992-93 10 13.50 
			 1993-94 10 13.30 
			 1994-95 10 13.00 
			 1995-96 10 12.50 
			 1996-97 10 12.20 
			 1997-98 10 11.80 
			 1998-99 10 11.40 
			 1999-2000 10 11.30 
			 2000-01 10 11.00 
			 2001-02 10 10.80 
			 2002-03 10 10.60 
			 2003-04 10 10.30 
			 2004-05 10 10.00 
			 2005-06 10 9.70 
			  Notes: 1. Real terms expenditure has been calculated using the General Index of Retail Prices All Items (RPI) table 1.1 contained in "The Abstract of Statistics for Benefit, National Insurance Contributions and Indices of Prices and Earnings", published by the Department for Work and Pensions at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/abstract/Abstract2005.pdf 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 pence. 3. A Christmas bonus was not paid in 1975 and 1976. 
		
	
	
		
			   Christmas bonus total expenditure in nominal terms (£ million) 
			 1972-73 81 
			 1973-74 80 
			 1974-75 92 
			 1975-76 — 
			 1976-77 0 
			 1977-78 98 
			 1978-79 101 
			 1979-80 101 
			 1980-81 103 
			 1981-82 107 
			 1982-83 108 
			 1983-84 109 
			 1984-85 111 
			 1985-86 112 
			 1986-87 115 
			 1987-88 116 
			 1988-89 118 
			 1989-90 121 
			 1990-91 122 
			 1991-92 125 
			 1992-93 128 
			 1993-94 136 
			 1994-95 136 
			 1995-96 139 
			 1996-97 144 
			 1997-98 139 
			 1998-99 140 
			 1999-2000 134 
			 2000-01 135 
			 2001-02 136 
			 2002-03 137 
			 2003-04 141 
			 2004-05 142 
			 2005-06 144 
			 2006-07 145 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £ million. 2. Christmas bonus total expenditure includes non-contributory Christmas bonus from 1972-73, and the sum of contributory and non-contributory Christmas bonus in 1973-74 and from 1977-78 onwards. 3. The Christmas bonus was first paid in 1972. 4. Christmas bonus was not paid in 1975 and 1976, however, Department for Work and Pensions expenditure tables shows some Christmas bonus contributory expenditure, below £0.5 million in 1975-76, which has been denoted with '—'.  Source: DWP expenditure tables 3, 3a, consistent with Budget report 2006. 
		
	
	The DWP expenditure tables can be viewed on the DWP website at the following address:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

City Strategy Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of the City Strategy programme was in each year since 2004-05; and what his estimate is of the likely cost in each year to 2010-11.

Anne McGuire: We announced our Cities Strategy in our welfare reform Green Paper; "A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work" in January 2006.
	As the Cities Strategy has a roll-out date of April 2007, there are no costs for 2004-05 and 2005-06. A budget has not yet been announced beyond 2006.

Departmental Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the total amount his Department has spent on  (a) plants and flowers,  (b) redecoration,  (c) taxis,  (d) conferences which were subsequently cancelled,  (e) foreign travel by Ministers and  (f) press officers in each year since 2001.

Anne McGuire: Information that is available is provided in the following table.
	The Department procures fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Land Securities Trillium through payment of an all inclusive unitary charge. This payment provides for redecoration and the provision of plants and flowers. It is not possible to extract those individual elements from the unitary charge.
	All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Since 1999 the Government have published annually a list of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500 and the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			   (c) Taxis  (d) Conferences which were subsequently cancelled  (f) Press officers 
			 2001-02 — — 816,725 
			 2002-03 — — 1,739,935 
			 2003-04 241,826 73,683 1,146,255 
			 2004-05 203,331 201,244 1,533,703 
			 2005-06 388,475 120,992 1,492,000 
			 2006 (to October 2006) (1)716,109 31,580 592,979 
			 (1) The figure for April to October 2006 additionally includes £417,000 paid by staff on taxis and claimed back in expenses. This expenses information is now being collected centrally but is not available for previous years.  Notes:  1. Details of spend in relation to  (c) is available only from April 2003. The figures from that date to 2005-06 inclusive are in respect of directly invoiced taxi (including minibus and coach) fares only. 2. Information in respect of  (d) is available only from August 2003.

Disabled Staff

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of the agencies for which he is responsible was registered as disabled in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The information is contained within the table.
	The information represents the position as declared by individual members of staff. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, disability status is self-declared on a voluntary basis and not all disabled staff declare themselves as such for Departmental records.
	Until 2005 the proportion of disabled staff is shown as the proportion of all staff. The numbers of staff in 2006 are however, based on the proportion of all staff who have declared their disability status.(1)
	These figures provide a snapshot of the headcount(2) for each of the Department's Agencies and Departmental totals, together with the proportion of disabled staff.
	The Department for Work and Pensions was created in July 2001, and figures prior to 2002 are unobtainable. Statistics at Agency level are not available for 2002.
	(1 )The change was made in response to new guidance from the Cabinet Office requiring us to include only staff who have made a declaration about their disability status. The figures from 2006 onwards will therefore exclude all staff who have chosen not to declare whether they are disabled.
	(2) For disability reporting purposes 'headcount' refers to all staff in the permanent and fixed term staff populations. It excludes casual staff and those who are unpaid.
	
		
			  DWP Agency  Staff  Disabled staff  Percentage of disabled staff 
			  2006
			 Appeals Service 821 36 4.4 
			 Child Support Agency 12,066 333 2.8 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,078 396 5.6 
			 Debt Management 3,176 90 2.8 
			 Corporate Centre 8,142 249 3.1 
			 Jobcentre Plus 73,540 4,863 6.6 
			 The Pension Service 14,932 455 3.0 
			 DWP total 119,764 6,422 5.4 
			 
			  2005
			 Appeals Service 783 42 5.4 
			 Child Support Agency 10,881 309 2.8 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,159 392 5.5 
			 Debt Management 3,095 81 2.6 
			 Corporate Centre 9,096 311 3.4 
			 Jobcentre Plus 80,163 5,073 6.3 
			 The Pension Service 17,357 495 2.9 
			 DWP total 128,534 6,703 5.2 
			 
			  2004
			 Appeals Service 871 44 5.1 
			 Child Support Agency 12,030 305 2.5 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,795 396 5.1 
			 Debt Management 3,011 91 3.0 
			 Corporate Centre 8,782 303 3.5 
			 Jobcentre Plus 85,059 5,389 6.3 
			 The Pension Service 20,224 538 2.7 
			 DWP total 137,772 7,066 5.1 
			 
			  2003
			 Appeals Service 941 49 5.2 
			 Child Support Agency 12,496 304 2.4 
			 Child Benefit Centre 2,142 41 1.9 
			 Disability and Carers Service 7,857 307 3.9 
			 Debt Management 3,075 105 3.4 
			 Corporate Centre 8,155 258 3.2 
			 Jobcentre Plus 85,289 5,433 6.4 
			 The Pension Service 18,819 502 2.7 
			 DWP total 138,774 6,999 5.0 
			 
			  2002
			 DWP total 133,451 7,273 5.4

Energy Prices

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of rising domestic energy prices on child poverty in  (a) summer and  (b) winter months.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 27 November 2006
	No such assessment has been made.

Health and Safety

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultations he has held on proposed changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations; what the results were of those consultations; and what action he plans to take as a result.

Anne McGuire: I am advised by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) on these matters. I understand that HSC conducted a Fundamental Review of RIDDOR during 2005 and early 2006, including a discussion document for public consultation from April to June 2005.
	HSC considered the outcome of the review in July 2006 and concluded that having thoroughly examined needs for information, stakeholder views and potential change options, there was no clear appetite for radical change at present. RIDDOR and supplementary data sources provided enough intelligence for enforcing authorities to operate effectively and so the costs and risks of change were not worth taking at this time.
	However, the Commission did direct the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to make improvements to streamline and simplify the reporting process and its communication, particularly from the point of view of small and medium sized businesses.
	The HSE is now implementing arrangements to make clear to business that reporting can be simple, drawing attention to the user-friendly telephone reporting facility. New website and other publicity material will be available early next year.

Home Responsibilities Protection

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of home responsibilities protection have a younger child aged  (a) between six and 11 and  (b) 12 or over.

James Purnell: Some 700,000 people who receive home responsibilities protection (HRP) for a tax year have a youngest child aged between six and 11, and around an additional 400,000 have a youngest child aged 12 or over.
	As part of our pension reform package, we propose to replace HRP with weekly national insurance credits for parents with care of a child up to age 12. Combined with our proposals to simplify the entitlement conditions and reduce the number of years needed to qualify for a full basic state pension (BSP) to 30, the credits will make it easier for parents to build a full BSP. The new credits also extend state second pension (S2P) rights to people with a child aged between six and 12—this means from 2010 around 780,000 more women and 30,000 men will be accruing S2P.
	 Notes
	1. Source: Family Resource Survey 2003-04
	2. Figures relate to people aged between 20 and state pension age.
	3. Due to small sample sizes these figures are subject to a high degree of variability and should be treated as indicative only.
	4. Figure rounded to nearest 100,000.

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of incapacity related benefit received such benefit for  (a) mental illness and  (b) back pain in each year since 1979-80.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of invalidity benefit, incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance claimants with back pain or mental and behavioural disorders at the dates shown. 
			   Back pain  Mental and behavioural disorders 
			 May 1980 — 12.5 
			 May 1981 — 13.7 
			 May 1982 — 14.1 
			 April 1983 — 14.7 
			 March 1984 — 16.7 
			 March 1985 — 15.7 
			 April 1986 — 15.8 
			 April 1987 — 16.5 
			 April 1988 — 16.5 
			 April 1989 — 17.2 
			 March 1990 — 17.7 
			 March 1991 — 18.1 
			 April 1992 — 18.6 
			 April 1993 — 19.3 
			 April 1994 — 19.6 
			 May 1995 11.3 20.8 
			 May 1996 12.0 23.5 
			 May 1997 12.3 25.7 
			 May 1998 12.3 28.2 
			 May 1999 12.3 30.2 
			 May 2000 12.3 31.9 
			 May 2001 12.2 33.4 
			 May 2002 12.0 34.9 
			 May 2003 11.7 36.4 
			 May 2004 11.4 37.9 
			 May 2005 11.1 39.0 
			 May 2006 10.9 40.0 
			  Notes: 1.Backpain claimant figures are not available for the years 1980—1995. 2. March 1980 to April 1994 figures are based on a one per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. May 1995 to May 1999 (inclusive) numbers are uprated to WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest 100. They are also based on a five per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 4. May 2000 to May 2006 (inclusive) numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 5. These figures should be used as a guide to the current situation only. 6. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. 7. Incapacity benefit replaced invalidity benefit in April 1995.  Source: WP Information Directorate one per cent. samples, five per cent. samples and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Incapacity Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the replacement rate between incapacity benefit and earnings for a male worker in the lowest decile; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: After-tax income depends not just on income tax and national insurance, but also on the tax credits payable. Tax credits are, in turn, determined by characteristics: a person may have children, a severe disability, and/or be part of a couple. There are also a number of different rates of incapacity benefit.
	We are therefore unable to make a single estimate of the replacement rate.

Lone Parents

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made to date towards meeting the target of helping 70 per cent. of lone parents into employment by 2010.

Jim Murphy: We have set ourselves the ambitious target of increasing the employment rate of lone parents to 70 per cent. by 2010. The lone parent employment rate in the second quarter of 2006 was 56.5 per cent. which is up from 44.7 per cent. in the same quarter in 1997; an 11.8 percentage point increase.
	The target is measured using the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of employment. There has been a move away from using the seasonal quarter HLFS to using the new calendar quarter HLFS. This has resulted in a small change to our previously published headline numbers from 56.6 per cent. 56.5 per cent.

Lyons Review

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to which places posts have been relocated under the Lyons Review, as referred to in the answer of 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1126W; and how many posts were relocated to each location.

Anne McGuire: Further to the answer of 7 November 2006, the number of posts relocated between 1 June 2003 and 31 October 2006 from London and the South East to each location is in the following table:
	
		
			  Posts relocated to:  Number 
			 Blackpool 454 
			 Cwmbran 286 
			 Liverpool 443 
			 Wrexham 510 
			 Newcastle 387 
			 Sheffield/Leeds 25 
			 Pembroke Dock 340 
			 Dundee 89 
			 Sheffield 68 
			 Makerfield 258 
			 Bradford 129 
			 Peterlee 5 
			 Plymouth/Bristol/Edinburgh 75 
			 Taunton 138 
			 Derby 142 
			 Bridgend 121 
			 Annesley 28 
			 Halifax 113 
			 Grimsby 86 
			 Glasgow 43 
			 Belfast 162 
			 Total 3902

Mrs Suzan Sampson

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will  (a) issue a temporary and  (b) reissue her former temporary national insurance number to Mrs Suzan Sampson of South Brent, Devon to enable her to apply for a state pension.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14( th) December 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question asking if he will (a) issue a temporary and (b) reissue her former temporary national insurance number to Mrs Suzan Sampson of South Brent, Devon to enable her to apply for a state pension. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Details of benefit claims are confidential and I will write to you directly on the matter in question.

Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total annual cost of uprating  (a) the basic state pensions and  (b) other benefits of those UK pensioners residing in countries where their benefits are not uprated.

James Purnell: The estimated annual cost of uprating the state pension for recipients living in these countries is approximately £400 million of which around £320 million represent the cost of uprating the basic state pension. Generally only the state pension is payable abroad without qualifying conditions.
	 Note
	Costs have been calculated using March 2006 retirement pension administrative data.

Pensions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effect of the capping of 2.5 per cent. on the annual uplift for inflation on occupational pensions introduced by the Pension Act 2004 on the value of occupational pensions; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: My Department commissions a regular survey on the pensions provided by private sector employers in Great Britain. The last survey in 2005 asked whether employers increased pensions in payment, accrued since 1997, by more than the minimum amount required by statute. The next survey in 2007 will ask a similar question enabling comparisons of the position before and after the changes to the statutory limited price indexation cap which came into effect from 6 April 2005. Additional survey data on increases to pensions in payment is available from the occupational pension schemes survey, formerly conducted by the Government Actuary's Department and now the responsibility of the Office for National Statistics. We will evaluate data on changes in the indexation of occupational pensions as soon as it is available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Proof of Identity

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many investigations are ongoing into identity theft in relation to working tax credit.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Information about the number of identity theft cases and ongoing investigations into identity theft cases relating to working tax credit is not separately recorded.

HEALTH

Adolescent Mental Health Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has held within her Department on capacity in in-patient adolescent mental health units;
	(2)  what recent discussions have taken place between those in her Department responsible for commissioning work with the independent sector and the independent sector on inpatient adolescent mental health units.

Ivan Lewis: I am not aware of any recent discussions with the independent sector. The need for specialist child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) beds is kept under review.
	Since 1999 the number of independent sector beds have increased by 92 per cent., from 212 to 407.
	In order to further increase capacity, Ministers have agreed, following a recommendation from the national specialist commissioning advisory group, to the national designation and commissioning of the secure forensic mental health and learning disability service for young people from April 2007. One of the two designated centres to supply this service will be St. Andrew's Hospital in Northampton, a not-for-profit charitable organisation concentrating on the provision of specialised mental health care services.

AG Care London

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the performance of AG Care London in the provision of services for vulnerable people in Brixham since the award of their contract by the Torbay primary care trust; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of services in Brixham is a matter for the local national health service. However, I am informed by NHS South West that since AG Care London was awarded the contract by the Torbay care trust in September 2006, there has been one formal complaint made to the care trust. This was investigated and dealt with by AG Care London.

Alcohol and Drug Misuse

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available to primary care trusts for treatment of  (a) alcohol misuse and  (b) drug misuse in (i) Greater London and (ii) England in each year since 2000.

Caroline Flint: We do not have information on drug treatment spend prior to 2001, in which year the Department and the Home Office started the specific allocation for drug treatment in the form of the pooled drug treatment budget (PTB).
	Table one shows the funding which has been made available to primary care trusts (PCTs) for the treatment of drug misuse for England in each year since 2001. Table two shows the PTB funding allocated to Greater London PCTs since 2002-03, when these data were first available.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  £ million 
			   PTB  Local funding  Total 
			 2001-02 142 145 287 
			 2002-03 191 131 322 
			 2003-04 236 200 436 
			 2004-05 253 (1)204 457 
			 2005-06 300 (1)208 508 
			 2006-07 385 (1, 2)212 597 
			 (1 )Local funding increases based on 2 per cent. inflation increase. (2) Estimated. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   PTB Allocation (£000) 
			 2002-03 43,801 
			 2003-04 55,195 
			 2004-05 60,371 
			 2005-06 72,741 
			 2006-07 93,590 
		
	
	PCTs are estimated to have spent £217 million from all sources (including a small percentage from charitable bodies) on alcohol treatment in 2003-04 and are responsible locally for assessing and responding to the need for alcohol treatment. This estimate is one of the findings of the alcohol needs assessment research project (ANARP), published in 2005. The PTB allocated to drug action teams may be used to fund treatment for drug misusers, who also have a co-dependent alcohol problem.
	We are unable to supply a breakdown of the funding used for the treatment of alcohol misuse by PCTs.

Ambulance Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the change in the number of ambulance journeys per financial year in Copeland which would result from transferring consultant-led maternity services from West Cumberland hospital to the Carlisle infirmary;
	(2)  whether she has assessed the impact on the emergency response times of the ambulance service in Copeland of additional journeys to transfer maternity patients from West Cumberland hospital to Carlisle infirmary.

Rosie Winterton: Cumbria primary care trust (PCT) is carrying out a whole systems review of health services across the county. The provision of maternity services and ambulance services will be considered in the context of this review. Any proposed changes to the provision of health services will be subject to public consultation in due course.

Ambulance Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of ambulances based in Copeland were  (a) unavailable due to mechanical breakdown and  (b) involved in out-of-county transfers on each day of the 2005-06 financial year;
	(2)  what percentage of emergency response ambulances based in Copeland are over five years old;
	(3)  on how many occasions in financial year 2005-06 ambulance stations in Copeland were single manned.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Benzodiazepines

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for Benzodiazepines have been issued in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not hold data on the total number of prescriptions issued. The following table provides the total number of Benzodiazepines items dispensed in the community in England in each of the last five available years represented in thousands.
	
		
			   Benzodiazepines 
			 2001 12,648.9 
			 2002 12,326.9 
			 2003 12,087.9 
			 2004 11,877.3 
			 2005 11,252.1 
		
	
	Benzodiazepines are defined in section 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 of the British National Formulary. Benzodiazepines defined in section 4.8.1 for the treatment for epilepsy are not included.

Breast Cancer

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time was that Surrey Heath residents waited for breast cancer genetic tests in each year from 1997 to 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect data centrally on waiting times for genetic tests for inherited forms of breast cancer.
	However the Government recognise that some patients have experienced long waits for genetic tests in the past and this will have caused stress and anxiety. This is unacceptable.
	So, to improve access and cut waiting times, the genetics White Paper 'Our Inheritance, Our Future—realising the potential of genetics in the NHS', published in June 2003, committed up to £18 million for NHS genetics laboratories in England. This major investment is boosting capacity and supporting modernisation in genetics laboratories, thus helping them meet the rising demand for genetic tests.
	To ensure that this investment resulted in real patient benefit, the White Paper set out new standards for genetic test turn around times, to be achieved by the end of 2006. These are:
	within three days where the result is needed urgently, for example, for prenatal diagnosis
	within two weeks where the potential genetic mutation is already known, for example, because another family member has already been tested; and
	within eight weeks for unknown mutations in a large gene.
	This money was allocated during the last two financial years (2004-06), and laboratories are working hard to get their new facilities up to speed to meet these standards.
	We are monitoring molecular genetics laboratories' progress through the commissioners of genetic services. The laboratories serving the population of Surrey Heath expect to be meeting these standards for new referrals of genetic tests for breast cancer by the end of 2006.

Cancer Patients

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will undertake research on the availability of travel insurance to cancer patients; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not prescribe the terms and conditions that insurance companies may set when offering insurance. Nor do they intervene in the decisions of insurance companies when determining whether or not to offer cover. As a rule, insurers use their claims experience and other industry-wide statistics to set the terms on which they will offer insurance cover.
	Although the availability for an individual patient will depend on their individual circumstances, travel insurance is generally available for cancer patients, and some brokers and insurers specialise in offering cover for cancer patients or those with a pre-existing condition more widely.
	The Government are not, at the current time, undertaking research on the availability of travel insurance to cancer patients. The Government are currently reviewing whether sales of travel insurance sold alongside a holiday should be regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This will include looking at whether travellers are informed during the sales process of what is and what is not covered by their policy and whether they are also informed that they should disclose any pre-existing medical conditions to their insurer.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial support her Department gave to  (a) breast cancer,  (b) lung cancer,  (c) prostate cancer and  (d) colorectal cancer charities in each of the last eight years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has given financial support to a number of cancer charities over the last eight years through section 64 of the Public Health Act 1968, which gives Ministers the power to make grants to voluntary organisations.
	The following table shows the funding given to breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer charities under section 64 in each financial year since 1999-2000.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Breast cancer  Lung cancer  Prostate cancer  Colorectal cancer 
			 1999-2000 10,000 — — 25,000 
			 2000-01 27,000 — — 20,000 
			 2001-02 71,911 — 45,000 15,000 
			 2002-03 50,000 — 45,000 30,000 
			 2003-04 40,000 44,000 74,858 25,000 
			 2004-05 70,000 44,000 36,000 20,000 
			 2005-06 79,570 44,000 30,000 55,000 
			 2006-07 64,705 48,950 9,952 45,000 
			 Total 413,186 180,950 240,810 235,000

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department gave to research into the development of screening technology for  (a) breast cancer,  (b) lung cancer,  (c) prostate cancer and  (d) colorectal cancer in each of the last eight years.

Andy Burnham: The main agency through which the Government support biomedical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS.
	MRC expenditure on projects concerned with screening in the four cancer sites in question, and comparable spend by the Department's national research programmes, is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Medical Research Council 
			  £ million 
			   Breast  Colorectal  Lung  Prostate 
			 1998-99 1.4 0.7 0.00 0.5 
			 1999-00 1.4 0.1 0.00 0.3 
			 2000-01 3.7 3.0 0.15 2.6 
			 2001-02 4.3 3.1 0.65 1.2 
			 2002-03 3.7 3.3 0.80 1.4 
			 2003-04 2.8 2.5 1.00 0.7 
			 2004-05 3.2 3.2 0.60 1.5 
			 2005-06 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available 
		
	
	
		
			  Department of Health 
			  £ million 
			   Breast  Colorectal  Lung  Prostate 
			 1998-99 0.2 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 1999-00 0.2 0.00 0.00 0.2 
			 2000-01 0.5 0.2 0.00 0.6 
			 2001-02 0.4 0.3 0.00 0.2 
			 2002-03 0.3 0.4 0.03 0.2 
			 2003-04 0.3 0.3 0.01 0.4 
			 2004-05 0.3 0.3 0.00 0.2 
			 2005-06 0.4 0.3 0.00 0.3 
		
	
	The Department and the MRC, together with Cancer Research UK, agreed in 2001 to provide £7.4 million over five years for two National Cancer Research Institute prostate cancer collaboratives. The collaboratives are working to find the origins and causes of prostate cancer in order to lead to better treatment and to develop diagnostics to predict different forms of the disease. Following a review of progress by an international expert panel the Department, Cancer Research UK and the MRC have agreed to provide a further three years funding of £3.9 million.
	Building on its recent international symposium on Biomarkers, which highlighted a shortage in biomarkers that are 'qualified' for use in clinical studies, the MRC has made £10 million available to support proposals for world-class, innovative projects to evaluate potential biomarkers in diagnosis of disease (including cancer), disease heterogeneity and underlying mechanisms or response to interventions.
	The Department is additionally supporting research that is potentially applicable to all cancer screening.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the national health service spent on services for  (a) breast cancer,  (b) lung cancer,  (c) prostate cancer,  (d) colorectal cancer and  (e) all cancers in each of the last eight years.

Rosie Winterton: We do not hold information centrally on levels of funding on cancer services for different cancers. However a total of around £3.4 billion was spent on cancer services in 2003-04 and this increased by 12 per cent. each year to around £3.8 billion in 2004-05, and £4.3 billion in 2005-06.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to increase prostate cancer surgical specialisation.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued guidance on "Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancers", including prostate cancer, in September 2002. This guidance included recommendations aimed at ensuring that prostate surgery was carried out only by surgeons and teams that had sufficient experience to ensure specialisation in this field. Each strategic health authority was asked to demonstrate that its cancer network(s) had suitable action plans in place for the implementation of this guidance. Progress towards the implementation of these plans is assessed by both the Department and the Healthcare Commission. The Department has also made funds available to the national health service to pilot a national multidisciplinary team training programme in prostate cancer surgical techniques in 2006-07 with the aim of improving outcomes of surgical procedures in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with  (a) charitable organisations and  (b) the voluntary sector on the effectiveness of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she plans to update the Prostate Cancer Risk Management programme;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the number of general practitioners who  (a) operate within the guidelines set out by the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme and  (b) did not receive the packs distributed as part of that programme.

Rosie Winterton: The formal evaluation of the prostate cancer risk management programme (PCRMP) was undertaken by the primary care education research group at the University of Oxford. As part of the evaluation, the researchers undertook an on-line questionnaire with 400 general practitioners (GPs), and a resulting paper has now been published in the journal BioMed Central (BMC) Family Practice ( BMC Family Practice 2005; 6:24).
	58 per cent. of GPs questioned were aware of the PCRMP, and 67 per cent. said they supported the policy. 41 per cent. reported having received the PCRMP resource pack, of whom 80 per cent. felt the pack would be very or fairly useful. 83 per cent. favoured both the general practitioner and the man being involved in the decision making process.
	The PCRMP pack is currently being reviewed, and as part of this process, we will be looking at how to engage GPs better in the programme. The review will take into account the results of the evaluation, and involve a formal literature review of the most recent evidence on prostate cancer testing.
	The review will also involve discussions with key stakeholders in the voluntary sector, we are committed to involving key stakeholders in policy development. That is why the prostate cancer advisory group (PCAG), chaired by Professor Mike Richards, the national cancer director, has representation from signatories to the prostate cancer charter for action, including the Prostate Cancer Charity. We are also ensuring that revisions to the PCRMP are consistent with the development of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guide on the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) breast cancer,  (b) lung cancer,  (c) prostate cancer and  (d) colorectal cancer patients were urgently referred to see a specialist by their GP in each of the last eight years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Comparative cancer waiting times treatment data are only available for breast cancer patients from 2002 and for all cancer patients since 2005. Percentages of patients urgently referred by their general practitioners are show in the table.
	
		
			  Year  Urgent GP referrals  Other referrals  Total referrals  Percentage of urgent GP referrals 
			  Breast Cancer 
			 2005-06 16,635 18,728 35,363 47 
			 2004-05 14,575 16,244 30,819 47 
			 2003-04 16,090 15,163 31,253 51 
			 2002-03 16,075 11,705 27,780 58 
			  
			  All Cancers 
			 2005-06 65,789 120,473 186,262 35 
		
	
	Further cancer waiting times data are available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits

Capture, Assess, Treat and Support Scheme

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place about  (a) the transfer of NHS staff to Netcare and  (b) the use of NHS MRI and other scanners in negotiations with Netcare, the preferred bidder for the Capture, Assess, Treat and Support Scheme in Lancashire.

Andy Burnham: The contract for services is still being negotiated with the preferred bidder. The scheme is expected to employ staff additional to the national health service workforce. The use of magnetic resonance imaging scanners is being proposed at all computerised axial tomography scan sites.

Capture, Assess, Treat and Support Scheme

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals Netcare has made during negotiations to deliver the Capture, Assess, Treat and Support Scheme in Lancashire to ensure that the outpatient procedures they would perform have emergency facilities available as a back-up if necessary.

Andy Burnham: The provider will be required to have arrangements for responding to clinical emergencies, including:
	emergency response arrangements;
	staff training for emergency response events;
	provision of equipment and
	transfer to other healthcare facilities where required.

Child Health Interim Application

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children did not receive immunisations as a consequence of the disruption to child health services caused by problems with the Child Health Interim Application; whether the catch-up exercise has been completed; what the additional cost has been as a result of the problems; and whether she plans to make available the appraisal which was to be completed in September.

Caroline Flint: The 10 primary care trusts (PCTs) using CHIA do not currently have a validated accurate picture of the number of children that have not received their immunisations. There are a number of significant factors contributing to this, including the migration and merging of PCT records from the previous system to CHIA, data quality issues and delays in deploying key functionality in CHIA.
	To ensure children receive their immunisations at the right time, both regular and additional audit activities are being carried out by PCTs, GP practices, BT (the local service provider for the London cluster) and the Health Protection Agency. These activities will validate the immunisation returns to identify and ensure that any children that are overdue an immunisation are invited to have one at the appropriate time. PCT Chief Executives and the Director of Public Health for London are fully engaged and supportive of these activities.
	PCTs are working closely with general practices to ensure that children are immunised at the appropriate time. In addition to child health systems, due immunisations can also be identified in other ways such as general practice systems and the individual child's records (known as the 'Red Book') held by parents.
	As described, the catch-up exercise is on-going. BT, the local service provider (LSP) for the London cluster, has made resources available to PCTs, at its own cost, to assist with resolving issues relating to the migration to CHIA.
	The options appraisal report will be made publicly available after it has been considered and reviewed by PCT boards in January, as part of their business case to determine whether to move to another interim application or to the strategic solution proposed by the LSP. In addition new governance arrangements are being introduced to expedite an early resolution to the difficulties PCTs are experiencing. In parallel with this a new National Child Health Immunisation Board is being established, to ensure standards are more clearly applied in future child health systems.
	We shall continue to monitor progress on the resolution of these matters and I have requested an update at end of January.

Cholesterol

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to encourage adults to reduce their cholesterol levels.

Caroline Flint: The Department is responsible for a range of public health campaigns, which will help people to manage their cardiovascular risks. High cholesterol levels are linked to obesity. Reducing obesity is one of the six overarching priorities of the "Choosing Health" White Paper published in November 2004. The White Paper sets out a comprehensive plan of action on physical activity, diet, personalised support, information and curbs on marketing that provides a strong foundation for tackling obesity. This plan will include a comprehensive communications strategy, focussing on behaviour change communication using a social marketing approach, aiming to provide clear, and simple messages on tackling and preventing obesity. Also included will be provision of support, guidance and advice to the delivery chain, including specific support to the health service in tackling obesity. New initiatives such as early years and adolescent life checks and the introduction of health trainers will support people to adopt healthier lifestyles.
	Many people will require drug therapy—usually statins—to manage their cholesterol levels. The General Medical Service contract includes quality indicators on control of cholesterol in patients with coronary heart disease. Since the launch of the national service framework for coronary heart disease in 2000, prescriptions for statins have risen by 30 per cent. every year. NHS spending on statins has increased to about £0.6 billion a year. In January 2006 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a health technology appraisal on statins which found that it was both clinically and cost-effective to prescribe them for patients with a 20 per cent. 10-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This updates the NSF's threshold for treatment, which stood at a 30 per cent. 10-year risk of coronary heart disease, and greatly extends the NHS's scope to use statins for the primary prevention of disease.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of cognitive behavioural therapists employed by NHS trusts in each year since 2004.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 11 December 2006
	Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is provided for the national health service in England by a range of different professionals, including consultant psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurse consultants and psychiatric nurses. Not all staff within each professional group will provide CBT and the Department does not collect data about the numbers actually doing so.
	Information about the number of consultant psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, nurse consultants, psychiatric nurses as of September 2004 and September 2005 is available as shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2004  2005 
			 Psychiatric consultants 3,661 3,690 
			 Clinical psychologists 7,051 7,122 
			 Qualified psychotherapists 1,101 1,087 
			 Nurse consultants 631 724 
			 Psychiatric nurses 47,390 48,553 
			  Source: Information Centre for Health and Social Care. 
		
	
	In addition, CBT can be provided for the NHS by graduate primary care mental health workers, of whom 720 were in post in March 2006. General practitioners and NHS employers such as primary care trusts may also commission CBT from individual counsellors or CBT practitioners, on behalf of NHS patients.

Community Treatment Orders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who within her Department has seen the findings received so far from the report which her Department commissioned to look at international experiences of implementing community treatment orders; and what discussions have taken place in the Department on those findings.

Rosie Winterton: Officials and I have received updates on the research into international experiences of community treatment orders. The findings will be made available when the report is completed.

Cystic Fibrosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many preventative treatment programmes for cystic fibrosis sufferers are in operation in hospitals in  (a) West Sussex and  (b) the South East of England; and how many of these programmes are able to support the needs of paediatric cystic fibrosis cases.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally. The provision of services for patients with cystic fibrosis is the responsibility of the local national health service.

Dentistry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average wait for  (a) braces and  (b) corrective dental treatment for children is in each primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: Information on waiting times for orthodontic treatment in primary care is not collected centrally. Where patients are referred for hospital orthodontic treatment, information is collected on waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant and, where a patient is treated on an in-patient basis, waiting times for admission. The latest information available by primary care trust is set out in a table which has been placed in the Library. The information is also available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/waitingtimes/index.htm

Dentistry

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of  (a) the demand for and  (b) number of places available to dentists to complete their vocational training; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The annual allocation of training places is based on the number of dental students who are expected to graduate from dental schools in England. For 2006-07 624 places were allocated.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 548W, on dentistry, when her Department expects to reclaim from primary care trusts underspends from their 2006-07 NHS dentistry budget allocations.

Rosie Winterton: The Department will review expenditure levels on primary care dentistry when final outturn data for 2006-07 are available.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2006 to question 102331, on dentistry, how many individual dental patients were recorded in each month of 2006-07 for which figures are available; and what receipts from dental charges were in each month.

Rosie Winterton: Information is available on the number of individual patients who received national health service (NHS) primary dental care or treatment in the most recent 24-month period. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care publish this information quarterly. Monthly information is only available at disproportionate cost.
	The latest available information shows that 28,068,025 patients received NHS primary dental care or treatment in the 24-month period ending 30 June 2006 and 28,083,591 in the same period ending 30 September 2006 in England.
	This information is also available at http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/nhsdentq2
	The Information Centre will be adding information on income from dental patient charges to its set of publications in due course.
	 Sources:
	The Information Centre for Health and Social Care.
	NHS Business Services Authority (BSA).

Dentistry

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average remuneration per full-time equivalent NHS general dental practitioner is in York and Selby; and what it was in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Average remuneration per full-time equivalent national health service general dental practitioner in the York and Selby Primary Care Trust area alone is not identifiable from data available centrally.
	Dentists are paid gross fees to cover both their own income as well as their expenses in delivering the dental service. Net income is income after expenses have been deducted. All estimated average annual net incomes, between the financial years 2001-02 and 2005-06, of general dental service (GDS) dentists in England and Wales with a reasonable commitment to the GDS are shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Estimated average GDS net income for dentists with a reasonable GDS commitment( 1) , 2001-02 to 2005-06, England and Wales 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Estimated average net income (cash terms)( 2)  Estimated average net income (real terms—2005-06 prices)( 3) 
			 2001-02 60,500 67,200 
			 2002-03 63,300 68,300 
			 Break in series—see footnote 2 
			 2003-04 72,000 75,400 
			 2004-05 71,600 73,000 
			 2005-06 76,500 76,500 
			 (1 )Dentists with a reasonable commitment to the GDS exclude dentists with the lowest gross NHS earnings who will be doing mainly private dental work. Dentists covered are those with gross GDS earnings of £62,200 or more in 2005-06 with equivalent lower earnings requirements in previous years after allowing for fee increases. (2) The ratio of expenses to gross income is estimated using HMRC tax data on the overall earnings and expenses of non-associate dentists. Average net income prior to 2003-04 is estimated by multiplying the average gross GDS payment in that year (based on BSA payment data) by the most up to date net income ratio available for that year (based on HMRC data relating to all non-associate dentists in Great Britain). For 2003-04 and 2004-05, net income has been estimated using GDS payment data for each year multiplied by the profit ratio for dentists with a high-commitment to the NHS for the respective year. The net income estimate for 2005-06 is based on the profit ratio of high commitment dentists in 2004-05 (the latest currently available). (3) Figures converted into real terms using GDP deflator at market prices  Source:  Department of Health and Information Centre for health and social care analysis of Business Services Authority payments and HMRC tax data. 
		
	
	The income figures cover both estimated fees for GDS treatments and patient capitation as well as other estimated payments such as seniority payments and commitment payments and payments for maternity and sickness. The net income figures cover some part-time NHS dentists with NHS gross earnings above £62,500 in 2005-06. Income from private dentistry is excluded. Income for individual dentists will depend on associate arrangements with other dentists.

Departmental Staff

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many grade 2 or equivalent level personnel are employed by her Department; and how many were employed in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 11 December 2006
	As at 11 December 2006, the Department of Health currently employs 19 staff at grade 2 equivalent. The information requested for each year since 1997 is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Education Training Budget

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administrative costs were within  (a) strategic health authorities and  (b) her Department for the allocation, management and monitoring of the education and training budget in 2005-06; and what this figure was as a percentage of the total budget.

Rosie Winterton: Administrative costs within strategic health authorities, including costs in postgraduate deaneries, for the management and monitoring of the education and training budget, are not held centrally.
	In 2005-06, the Department spent £137,340 on administrative costs for the purpose of the management and monitoring of the education and training budget. This represents 0.0035 per cent. of the overall education and training budget.

Good Hope Hospital

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-patients were treated at Good Hope hospital in each of the last 10 years.

Andy Burnham: First out-patient attendances data for the Good Hope hospital national health service trust are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Good Hope hospital NHS trust 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 38,622 
			 2001-02 39,186 
			 2002-03 39,210 
			 2003-04 35,515 
			 2004-05 43,109 
			 2005-06 53,557 
			  Source: QM08S, provider based trust returns

GP Patient Survey

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many GPs have  (a) taken part in and  (b) refused to take part in her Department's patient survey Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the GP Patient Survey, Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say and patient confidentiality.

Caroline Flint: The "GP Patient Survey—Your Doctor, Your Experience, Your Say" will be sent to more than 5 million adults in January 2007. The introduction of this survey forms part of the changes introduced into the new primary medical care contract in April 2006 and will deliver the commitment in the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say. a new direction for community services", published in January 2006. It will provide a nationally consistent tool for asking patients their views on accessing primary care services in their General Practitioner practice.
	The survey will be the biggest ever of its kind. The Department has worked closely with the general practices committee of the British Medical Association and Ipsos MORI, the Survey provider, to ensure patient confidentiality is protected.
	The results of the initial survey will be used by Primary Care Trusts to reward general practices on their achievement against national standards they have aspired to within the improved access directed enhanced service (DES) for 20060-07. Practice participation in the DES is voluntary and the Department does not collect information centrally on the numbers of practices who have done so. Any practice which is participating in the DES will however need to take part in the patient survey if it is to receive the full payment to which it may be entitled under the DES. To date 265 practices (3 per cent.) have confirmed that they are not taking part.

Health Bodies: Yorkshire and Humber

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the financial position of each primary care trust and health authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Andy Burnham: We published the national health service financial performance for the second quarter of 2006-07, on the 9 November 2006, which provides details of the forecast year end position reported by NHS organisations,
	The report is available in the Library. It is also available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4140436&chk=WmhHTZ
	
		
			  Financial position of PCTs in Yorkshire and Humber SHA 
			  £000 
			  Organisation name  2005-06 annual accounts surplus/(deficit)  2006-07 month 3 forecast out-turn surplus/(deficit)  2006-07 month 6 forecast out-turn surplus/(deficit) 
			 Airedale PCT 103 0 0 
			 Barnsley PCT 413 0 0 
			 Bradford City Teaching PCT 9 0 0 
			 Bradford South and West PCT 165 0 0 
			 Calderdale PCT 50 0 0 
			 Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT (1,988) 0 (4,700) 
			 Doncaster Central PCT 1,335 0 0 
			 Doncaster East PCT 504 0 0 
			 Doncaster West PCT 2,334 0 0 
			 East Leeds PCT 208 0 0 
			 East Yorkshire PCT 6 0 0 
			 Eastern Hull PCT 97 0 0 
			 Eastern Wakefield PCT 77 0 0 
			 Hambleton and Richmondshire PCT (4,505) (4,745) 0 
			 Huddersfield Central PCT (3,553) 0 (2,500) 
			 Leeds North East PCT 113 0 0 
			 Leeds North West PCT 38 0 0 
			 Leeds West PCT 58 0 0 
			 North Bradford PCT 132 0 0 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 0 0 0 
			 North Kirklees PCT 124 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT (1,005) 0 (8,800) 
			 North Sheffield PCT 247 0 (2,803) 
			 Rotherham PCT 1,475 0 0 
			 Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT (5,932) (5,932) (5,257) 
			 Selby and York PCT (23,651) 0 (9,693) 
			 Sheffield South West PCT 52 0 (1,531) 
			 Sheffield West PCT 8 0 (2,869) 
			 South East Sheffield PCT 28 0 (3,058) 
			 South Huddersfield PCT (2,772) 0 (2,600) 
			 South Leeds PCT 36 0 0 
			 Wakefield West PCT 7 0 0 
			 West Hull PCT 14 0 0

Health Care Professionals: International Recruitment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of  (a) systems of monitoring and  (b) steps taken by NHS employers to ensure compliance with the Code for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals.

Rosie Winterton: NHS employers' role of monitoring, and ensuring compliance with the code of practice for the recruitment of international healthcare professionals is included in the service level agreement between NHS employers and the Department of Health. The service level agreement is reviewed annually.

Health Care Professionals: International Recruitment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals to other non-NHS healthcare providers.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has made a groundbreaking agreement for this code to apply to major players in the independent healthcare sector.
	The independent healthcare advisory services and the recruitment and employment confederation both endorse the code of practice.

Health Care Spending

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent per head of population on health care in  (a) Shropshire,  (b) Gloucestershire,  (c) Herefordshire,  (d) Warwickshire,  (e) Staffordshire and  (f) Birmingham in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available in the format required.
	However, the total expenditure per head of population by the relevant strategic health authority (SHA) area for 2005-06, is contained in the table.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			  SHA  Expenditure (£ per head) 
			 Avon, Gloucester and Wiltshire 1,250.34 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 1,413.32 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 1,225.95 
			 West Midlands South 1,219.27 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure by strategic health authority area is taken as the total expenditure of the strategic health authority and of primary care trusts within the strategic health authority area.  2. Expenditure shown does not include all NHS expenditure within the area. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded from the figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts.  Sources: 1. Audited summarisation forms of the named strategic health authorities 2005-06 2. Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts within the named strategic health authority areas 2005-06 3. Office for National Statistics unweighted population figures

Healthy Start

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence was used to inform her Department's Healthy Start scheme; what progress has been made in implementing the Healthy Start scheme; and what audits will be undertaken to assess the impact of the scheme.

Caroline Flint: Healthy Start builds on recommendations for reform made by the committee on the food and medical aspects of food and nutrition (COMA), which reviewed the former Welfare Food Scheme in 1999. Proposals for reform were further tested through public consultation.
	Healthy Start was implemented in two phases—phase one introduced the scheme in Devon and Cornwall on 28 November 2005, to allow the processes and early impact on beneficiaries, health professionals and retailers to be evaluated independently. Executive summary reports of the evaluation undertaken can be obtained from the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk.
	Phase two extended the scheme across the rest of Great Britain on 27 November 2006. Northern Ireland introduced an identical scheme on the same date. An expert scoping study is now under way to consider the longer-term evaluation requirements to examine the health and behavioural impacts of the scheme over time.
	The Department will continue to monitor all aspects of delivery of the scheme, and to understand voucher usage. Voucher values and the range of foods available under the scheme will be reviewed at least annually.

HIV and AIDS Funding

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is being provided by her Department to Bournemouth in 2006-07 to help individuals with HIV and AIDS; and whether this funding is ring fenced.

Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts provide health care for those living with HIV and AIDS from their general allocations. A separate breakdown of this figure is therefore not identifiable.
	The Department does provide a ring-fenced AIDS support grant allocation to Bournemouth borough council of £71,000 in 2006-07, to assist the local authority with HIV and AIDS social care costs.

Hospital Beds

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds are available in East Sussex for patients  (a) in a permanent vegetative state,  (b) with advanced Huntington's disease and  (c) with CJD; and where the beds are located.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hospital Infections

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the requirements are for reporting  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile infections in (i) NHS hospitals, (ii) private hospitals and (iii) independent sector treatment centres.

Andy Burnham: Since 1 April 2001, all acute national health service trusts have been obliged to report all cases of bloodstream infections caused by meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
	Since 1 January 2004, all acute NHS trusts have been obliged to report all cases of disease associated with  Clostridium difficile in patients aged 65 years and over to the HPA.
	The HPA collates and analyses the data on behalf of the Department.
	At present, private hospitals and independent sector treatment centres are not required to report cases.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting  (a) more than six months for in-hospital treatment and  (b) more than 14 weeks for an out-patient appointment in each hospital in east Sussex.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is only collected at trust level. The following table details the number of outpatients waiting over 14 weeks to be seen by a consultant after GP referral and inpatients waiting over 26 weeks for admission for East Sussex Hospitals National Health Service Trust and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust at month ending 31 October.
	
		
			   East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust  Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Outpatients waiting over 14 weeks to be seen by a consultant after general practitioner referral 0 0 
			 Inpatients waiting over 26 weeks for admission 0 36 
			  Source: Department of Health—MMI monthly monitoring

Hospital Waiting Lists

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are waiting for  (a) in-hospital treatment and  (b) out-patient appointments in each hospital in East Sussex.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is only collected at trust-level. The following table details the total number of outpatients waiting to be seen by a consultant after general practitioner referral and total inpatients waiting for admission for East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals National Health Service Trust at month ending 31 October.
	
		
			   East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust  Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 Outpatients not seen 11,460 11,046 
			 Inpatients total waiting list 5,259 6,596 
			  Source: Department of Health—MMI monthly monitoring

Medical Staff: Sexual Offences

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered  (a) doctors,  (b) dentists,  (c) nurses and  (d) other health professionals were (i) convicted and (ii) cautioned for sexual offences in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected by the Department.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute mental health beds were  (a) available in the NHS and  (b) contracted to the NHS by the independent sector in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the average daily number of available beds in the mental health sector for each of the last five years is shown in the table. Information about the number of mental illness beds contracted to the national health service by the independent sector is not centrally available.
	
		
			  Average daily number of available beds, mental illness sector, England 
			   Mental illness 
			 2001-02 32,783 
			 2002-03 32,753 
			 2003-04 32,252 
			 2004-05 31,286 
			 2005-06 29,802

Mental Health Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the funding was per one thousand population for mental health services in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) Peterborough in each year since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not allocate funds specifically for mental health services.
	Estimates of primary care trust expenditure on 'Mental Health' are provided by the programme budgeting returns. At present, data are only available for the financial years 2003/-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	The following table shows net spend for each primary care trust (PCT) in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 on mental health, in terms of expenditure per 100,000 unified weighted population.
	Weighted population figures represent the PCT populations after adjusting for age related need, additional need related to levels of deprivation, and differences in unavoidable costs. The weighted populations represent the amount of resources needed in each PCT to commission similar levels of healthcare for similar levels of need.
	Unified weighted is the population adjustment when the weighting for hospital and community services is combined with the weighting used for general medical services (GMS) and prescribing services.
	Further analysis is available at the website address:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/programmebudgeting
	
		
			  PCT level 'Mental Health' expenditure (£000) 2003-04-2005-06 per head of 100,000 unified weighted population. 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Cambridge City 26,873,044 23,833,383 26,117,749 
			 Norwich 17,896,845 20,637,346 23,842,288 
			 Broadland 14,743,181 17,390,401 21,397,332 
			 North Peterborough 13,124,315 7,317,136 18,192,480 
			 Ipswich 14,896,006 17,072,030 17,780,503 
			 Waveney 12,950,724 14,961,009 17,443,656 
			 North Norfolk 13,663,678 15,003,314 17,060,539 
			 Great Yarmouth 12,071,706 12,549,169 16,321,827 
			 Central Suffolk 12,347,805 12,724,932 16,061,144 
			 Suffolk Coastal 12,971,626 13,305,971 15,792,511 
			 South Cambridgeshire 11,653,268 16,431,343 13,910,192 
			 Southern Norfolk 11,547,681 12,695,029 13,630,031 
			 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland 9,368,950 12,449,396 13,249,751 
			 Suffolk West 12,011,112 13,652,341 13,002,033 
			 South Peterborough 11,491,376 11,650,337 12,775,887 
			 West Norfolk 11,454,625 12,353,639 11,992,645 
			 Huntingdonshire 7,894,547 9,359,930 10,323,705

National Identity Register

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Spine database will be compatible with the National Identity Register.

Rosie Winterton: The spine is the name given to the national database of key information about national health service patients' health and care. It forms the core of the NHS care records service.
	There are no plans to disclose NHS patient information to the national identity register, and no plans for physical or electronic linkage between what would be two completely separate systems. Therefore questions of technical compatibility do not arise.
	NHS patient information will only be disclosed in accordance with the NHS code of practice on confidentiality.

National Identity Register

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what personal data held by her Department will be entered on to the national identity register; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  which datasets held by her Department have been identified as suitable for use in the national identity register database.

Caroline Flint: None. There are no plans to disclose national health service patient information to the national identity register. NHS patient information will only be disclosed in accordance with the NHS code of practice on confidentiality.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the  (a) clinical guidelines,  (b) guidance on public health and  (c) technology appraisals carried out by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have been initiated by (i) clinical and public health professionals, (ii) patients, (iii) carers, (iv) the general public, (v) her Department's national clinical directors, (vi) her Department's policy teams, (vii) the National Horizon Scanning Centre and (viii) NICE staff.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected by the Department. A bespoke data collection and analysis exercise could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.

NHS Deficits

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the evidence (question 742) given before the Health Committee on 21 November 2006, on NHS deficits, what estimate she has made of the oversupply of  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) other health professionals and  (d) all other NHS staff in 2006-07.

Rosie Winterton: Staffing levels for national health service organisations are a matter for local determination. It is for each trust and primary care trust to agree on the number and skill mix of staff they need to deliver services.

NHS Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per capita by the NHS in each of the regional health authority areas on mental health in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format. Estimates of primary care trust expenditure on mental health are provided by the programme budgeting returns. At present, data are available for the financial years 2003-04 and 2004-05 as per the old primary care trust boundaries only.
	Details of the net spend for each primary care trust in 2003-04 and 2004-05 on mental health in terms of expenditure per 100,000 unified weighted population are available in the Library.
	Further analysis is available at the website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/programmebudgeting

NHS Funding

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the announcements  (a) she and  (b) her Ministers have made pledging additional NHS funding on specific activities in each of the last five years; and which of this funding was ring-fenced.

Andy Burnham: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

NHS Posts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has received from the local national health service in North East Hertfordshire of the number of NHS posts expected to be lost in the next 12 months.

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance targets have been set for NHS Professionals.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Professionals has a number of performance targets to meet each year. These are outlined in their business plan and monitored through a balance scorecard.
	NHS Professionals report quarterly on their performance against the scorecard key performance indicators. Performance is discussed at quarterly accountability review meetings.

NHS Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS Professionals plans to increase the fees it charges to NHS trusts.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Professionals is currently discussing a new service proposition with its partner trusts, the Department and NHS Employers. This new proposition will deliver greater choice for trusts wishing to use the NHS Professionals service. The pricing levels for these services are not yet agreed.
	From 21 February 2007, and in line with Departmental policy on trusts paying for the services they receive, trusts using NHS Professionals will be subject to a £6 transaction fee on all agency invoices.

NHS Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what audit procedures are in place  (a) to monitor the performance of NHS Professionals and  (b) to ensure that all staff supplied by NHS Professionals to hospitals undergo the same recruitment checks, training and occupational health checks that are required of private recruitment agencies.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Professionals' annual accounts are audited by the National Audit Office. It has also been audited by the Department of Trade Industry and has met and, in some cases exceeded, the requirements of the Employment Agencies Act and the Conduct of Employment and Employment Businesses Regulations.
	NHS Professionals reports quarterly on their performance against key performance indicators. These indicators are discussed at quarterly accountability review meetings with senior Department officials.
	NHS Professionals nursing staff and locum doctors are employed by the NHS and are therefore subject to the same stringent checks as any other substantive employee and as set out in the NHS Employers' document 'Safer Recruitment'. NHS Professionals is bound by all the mandatory checks required of any other NHS organisation and no member is allowed to work until these checks have been completed satisfactorily.

NHS Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding from her Department NHS Professionals received in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07, broken down by (i) staff salaries, (ii) recruitment costs, (iii) infrastructure and premises costs, (iv) marketing and advertising costs and (v) other costs.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Professionals received funding of £19 million in 2005-06 and will receive £13.3 million in 2006-07 from the Department. The funding is not broken down into the categories requested. Details of NHS Professionals running costs are available in their published annual accounts.

Prescription Medicines

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the UK Government will encourage the European Commission to support changes in regulations to enable pharmaceutical companies to provide information directly to patients about prescription medicines; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Regulations covering labelling, patient information and advertising associated with medicines are set out in national and European legislation, specifically Council Directive 2001/83/EC.
	The United Kingdom Government recognise that patients want objective, authoritative information about medicines to help them make decisions about their healthcare. We strongly support the development of an improved framework for the delivery of medicines information and are keen to ensure that all patients have access to good quality, objective, reliable and accurate information. The UK Government do not, however, support lifting the current ban in European Union law on direct to consumer advertising for prescription only medicines.
	The European Commission is currently preparing a report for the European Parliament and the Council on current practice concerning the provision of information to patients across the community. Consultations are taking place with patients, healthcare professionals, member states and the pharmaceutical industry. We are actively contributing to this work. A report from the European Commission on how to best improve information on prescription medicines is expected in 2007. We will consider any proposals, including legislative change to improve the quality of information to patients.

Private Finance Initiative

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average level of debt arising from private finance initiative funded hospitals is owed by health service trusts.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 387W.

Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to NHS organisations of preparing business cases for failed private finance initiative applications in each NHS organisation in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: Central records are only kept on private finance initiative (PFI) schemes with a capital value of over £25 million. Schemes below that level are managed locally and any write-offs of this kind are declared in the accounts of the trust concerned.
	Information about schemes above £25 million is as follows:
	East Kent hospital NHS trust was a fourth wave PFI scheme given the go-ahead to proceed in 2001. The scheme was cancelled in 2003. The trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately £432,000.
	Bradford teaching hospitals NHS foundation trust was a fourth wave PFI scheme given the go-ahead to proceed in 2001. The scheme was cancelled in 2004. The trust reported that their abortive development costs were approximately £719,000.
	The Paddington Basin PFI scheme was given the go-ahead to proceed in 1999. The scheme was cancelled in 2005. Abortive development costs were £15 million.
	Essex Rivers healthcare NHS trust was a fourth wave PFI scheme given the go-ahead to proceed in 2001. The scheme was cancelled in 2006. The trust advised the Department that they estimate their abortive development costs were about £4 million.

Skilled for Health Programmes

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards the Choosing Health target of having each primary care trust run at least one Skilled for Health programme each year.

Caroline Flint: Phase one of Skilled for Health was completed this year and the teaching resources published in November 2006 as part of the embedded learning curriculum content for the Skills for Life programme. They are available at no cost to primary care trusts (PCTs) and their partners from Prolog (0845 60 222 600). Copies have been placed in the Library.
	Early adopter partnerships are now envisaged between local health and education bodies to provide local models of delivery for wider dissemination and as models of best practice before wider rollout can take place.

Smokers: Waiting Lists

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will take steps to ensure that patients in  (a) Essex and (b) mid-Essex are not delayed in (i) getting on a waiting list and (ii) receiving treatment in the last quarter of 2006-07 because they are smokers; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether it is Government policy to treat smokers and non-smokers differently  (a) when placing them on a waiting list for non-emergency treatment and  (b) in respect of the length of time it takes to receive such treatment; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will take steps to ensure that smokers and non-smokers are not treated differently when placed on a waiting list for non-emergency treatment in  (a) Essex and  (b) mid-Essex in the last quarter of 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: Primary care trusts commission surgery services based on their assessment of the needs of their local population and available service capacity. The provision and availability of a particular surgical intervention should be dependent on the clinical need of the individual patient.
	An assessment of the benefits of stopping smoking ahead of planned surgery was published in May 2006 by the London Health Observatory, entitled "Stop before the Op: the short-term benefits of preoperative smoking cessation in London". It estimated that, if London patients admitted for planned surgery were to stop smoking prior to operation, 2,500 to 5,300 fewer post-operative complications would be avoided each year. A copy is available in the Library.
	Since December 2005, the maximum waiting time standard for in-patient treatment has been six months. Most patients are admitted a lot quicker and the average (median) wait is now less than seven weeks.
	Very clear guidance to the national health service has been issued, stating that clinical need must be the main determinant when prioritising patients.

West Herfordshire Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds in West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust, including closed bed spaces, there are; and how many there are expected to be once reconfiguration has been completed.

Andy Burnham: As at November 2006, there were 669 acute hospital beds at West Hertfordshire Hospitals Trust. Following the completion of the reconfiguration proposals, there will be 590 acute hospital beds at the trust.

West Herfordshire Hospital Trust

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) intensive care and  (b) high dependency beds there are in West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust, including closed bed spaces; and how many there are expected to be in each category once reconfiguration has been completed.

Andy Burnham: West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust currently has 17 intensive treatment unit/high dependency unit (ITU/HDU) beds located between Watford and Hemel Hempstead general hospitals. The beds are used flexibly between ITU and HDU care with the appropriate staffing levels. There are currently no ITU/HDU beds closed at the trust.
	Modelling work done by an independent management consultancy company suggests that the proposed centralised service for the trust would require just over 16 ITU/HDU beds. However, the current plans have the flexibility to provide approximately 17-20 ITU/HDU beds.

Whipps Cross Hospital

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps Waltham Forest primary care trust has taken to avoid unplanned admissions to Whipps Cross hospital for  (a) angina and  (b) asthma; and how the effectiveness of such steps is being assessed.

Andy Burnham: I am advised that Waltham Forest primary care trust (PCT) has introduced a range of measures aimed at reducing unplanned admissions to Whipps Cross hospital no matter what condition an individual has.
	For asthma, patients attending accident and emergency will be assessed by a specialist nurse, who will assess their treatment with them.
	For angina, progress in the management in primary care of patients with ischaemic heart disease is monitored through the quality and outcomes framework of the General Medical Services contact. This enables practices systematically to manage key risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking.
	I understand that the effectiveness of these steps the PCT has taken are assessed by the board and the professional executive committee, who receive reports at every meeting on the number of emergency admissions and monitor practice performance under the quality and outcomes framework.

Yellow Card Scheme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs have  (a) been identified as hazardous and  (b) required regulatory action as a result of the Yellow Card reporting scheme in each of the last six years; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) data from the United Kingdom spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme, underpins the process of pharmacovigilance in the UK. Pharmacovigilance systems do not rely solely on ADR reporting via the Yellow Card Scheme. The other data sources regularly used in the monitoring of drug safety in the UK include formal safety studies, the published medical literature, information from pharmaceutical companies and other regulatory authorities throughout the world together with information on the level of drug prescribing. There is also an international database of around 1.5 million ADR reports operated by the World Health Organization to which the MHRA has on line access. In addition, as laid down in European Community legislation, the regulatory authorities of the European member states exchange information and work closely together on drug safety matters.
	The value of spontaneous reporting schemes like the Yellow Card Scheme is in the early detection of possible drug safety hazards, (signals). Once a hypothesis has been generated that a particular medicine is associated with an adverse effect other methods are used to confirm and quantify the risk before regulatory action is taken. The objective of regulatory action is to ensure that the benefits of the medicine continue to outweigh risks, by restricting indications for use, adding contraindications, warnings or precautions, or additional information about adverse effects. Only when risk minimisation measures are considered unlikely to be effective in maintaining a positive benefit risk balance is withdrawal from the market necessary. The table identifies for the last six years, the number of medicines that were withdrawn from the market in the UK, the number of letters sent to healthcare professionals in England to advise on drug safety issues and the number of changes (variations) to individual national marketing authorisations (MAs) requested by MHRA for safety reasons linked to pharmacovigilance activity.
	 The number of medicines withdrawn from the market in the UK, the number of letters issued to healthcare professionals in England and the number of changes (variations) to individual national marketing authorisations (MAs) requested by MHRA for safety reasons
	
		
			   Number of medicines withdrawn from the market in the UK for safety reasons  Number of healthcare professional letters issued in England about drug safety issues  Number of changes (variations) to individual national MAs requested by MHRA for safety reasons (rounded figures) 
			 2001 3 2 420 
			 2002 0 7 470 
			 2003 1 7 380 
			 2004 1 6 260 
			 2005 1 9 280 
			 2006 to date — 6 260

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academies

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much the United Learning Trust has  (a) pledged and  (b) paid to each of the academies that it sponsors;
	(2)  how much each of the operational city academies  (a) was pledged and  (b) has received from its sponsor.

Jim Knight: The following table shows, for each academy open at September 2006: the sponsor; the total amount of capital sponsorship due to that academy based on its funding agreement; the amount paid to the end of the 2004/05 academic year as recorded in the audited accounts, and the expected sponsor contributions to the end of November 2006 based on the profile set out in funding agreements. Accounts for the 2005/06 academic year are not yet available. For some recently opened academies, sponsorship funds are not yet due.
	The Department does not hold records of sponsorship actually paid to academy trusts, including sponsorship not given for capital purposes. The table identifies United Learning Trust (ULT) academies separately, and in addition a footnote to the table identifies the expected sponsorship level for three further ULT-sponsored academies which are not yet open.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Academies open at 1 September 2006  Sponsor  Total sponsorship due  Total sponsorship paid (from annual accounts up to 2004/05 accounts)  Total expected expenditure of sponsor contributions to end of November 2006 
			 Manchester United Learning Trust 2,000 (1)— 1,286 
			 Lambeth United Learning Trust 2,000 (1)— 1,500 
			 Northampton United Learning Trust 2,000 (1)— 654 
			 Paddington United Learning Trust 1,500 n/k 429 
			 Salford United Learning Trust 1,600 (1)— 0 
			 Barnsley United Learning Trust 1,500 n/a 0 
			 Walthamstow United Learning Trust 1,500 n/a 0 
			 Sheffield Springs United Learning Trust 1,500 n/a 1,500 
			 Shefield Park United Learning Trust 1,000 n/a 1,000 
			  United Learning Trust sub total(2) 14,600 2,979 6,369 
			 Peckham Lord Harris of Peckham 2,000 1,157 2,000 
			 Harris Merton Lord Harris of Peckham 500 n/a 0 
			 Bermondsey Lord Harris of Peckham 1,500 n/a 0 
			 Harris East Duiwich Lord Harris of Peckham 500 n/a 0 
			 Kings Vardy Foundation 2,000 2,000 2,000 
			 Trinity, Doncaster Vardy Foundation 2,000 1,500 2,000 
			 Haberdashers'—Hatcham Haberdashers Livery Company 705 (3)400 705 
			 Haberdashers'—Knights Haberdashers Livery Company 296 (3)— 296 
			 Marlowe Roger De Haan and Kent County Council 2,735 1,462 1,562 
			 Walsall Thomas Telford Online and Mercers Company 2,500 2,510 2,500 
			 Sandwell Thomas Telford Online, Mercers Company, HSBC, Tarmac, WBA FC 2,790 n/k 1,704 
			 Bexley Business Academy Sir David Garrard 2,410 2,823 2,410 
			 Greig Greig Trust 2,000 1,748 2,000 
			 Unity Amey Construction 2,000 2,017 2,000 
			 Capital City, Brent Sir Frank Lowe 2,000 3,025 2,000 
			 City of London Corporation of London 2,000 1,660 2,000 
			 City Academy, Bristol John Laycock 2,499 1,293 1,787 
			 West London, Ealing Alec Reed 2,000 1,922 2,000 
			 London, Bamet Peter Shalson 1,500 989 1,490 
			 Mossboume Sir Clive Bourne 2,150 2,044 2,150 
			 Stockley Barry Townsley 2,000 896 2,000 
			 St. Francis of Assisi RC Diocese of Liverpool 2,000 1,019 1,500 
			 Harefield David Meller 1,500 74 600 
			 Dixons Dixons Academy Trust 651 0 595 
			 David Young, Leeds Church of England 1,500 n/k 1,357 
			 Grace, Solihull Bob Edmiston 2,000 n/k 2,000 
			 Westminster Exilarch Foundation 1,500 n/k 0 
			 St. Paul's, Greenwich Diocese of Southwark/London Borough of Greenwich 2,000 200 200 
			 John Madejski, Reading John Madejski 2,000 n/k 1,670 
			 Petchey Jack Petchey Foundation 2,000 n/k 631 
			 North Liverpool Liverpool University and Granada Learning 1,000 n/k 0 
			 Macmillan Macmillan Academy Trust 1,250 0 350 
			 Djanogly Sir Harry Djanogly 0 72 0 
			 Burlington Danes ARK 1,500 n/a 0 
			 Thurrock Ormiston Trust 2,000 n/a 0 
			 Landau Forte Landau Forte Academy Trust 460 n/a 0 
			 St. Mark's Merton Diocese of Southwark, CfBT, Toc H 4— — — 
			 (1) ULT sponsorship of these academies has not been broken down. Total sponsorship by end of academic year 2004/05 as shown in accounts was £2,978,673 as shown. (2) ULT has committed a further £4.5 million towards three more academy projects which are currently in the feasibility/implementation phase (i.e. £1.5 million each). (4) Not confirmed at this stage. Supplementary Funding Agreement not yet signed.

Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has rejected an expression of interest in a potential city academy since the introduction of these academies.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The Department is regularly approached by a range of individuals and organisations who express an interest in participating in the Academies programme. Some of these interested parties then go on to work with the Department in developing a formal expression of interest document. Expressions of interest outline early proposals for an Academy. Not all expressions of interest result in an Academy being established.

Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has rejected a potential sponsor of a city academy since the introduction of those institutions.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	Yes.

Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors were taken into account when deciding that his Department's model funding agreement for city academies would not require academies to be treated in the same way as maintained schools with regard to  (a) the provisions of section 52 of the Education Act 2002 relating to discipline, exclusions and appeals,  (b) the provisions of sections 495 to 498 of the Education Act 1996 relating to complaints to the Secretary of State,  (c) the provisions of Part 3 of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 and  (d) the provisions of Part 4 of the Education Act 1996 relating to special educational needs.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	Academies are independent schools and the statutory provisions that provided for their establishment were enacted by Parliament with the intention that the majority of requirements would be contained within a contract: the Funding Agreement. In many respects the model Funding Agreement includes provisions equivalent to those in maintained school legislation: Academies are required to act in accordance with admissions law and the DfES codes of practice, to follow the majority of the provisions of section 52 of the Education Act 2002 relating to exclusions and appeals, and to have regard to the SEN code of practice and statutory guidance on inclusion. It is not however the Government's intention that maintained school legislation should simply read across; we need to be clear about its applicability to the particular set of circumstances within which Academies operate.

Academies

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which clauses of his Department's model funding agreement for city academies are open to negotiation with any potential sponsor; and what the scope of such negotiations may be.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	There are not designated clauses of the Academies Funding Agreement upon which we are always prepared to negotiate; we consider the individual needs of academies and the pupils they will serve on a case by case basis. Sponsors are made aware from the early stages that we expect them to adopt the model funding agreement in its entirety except where there are compelling reasons, in the interests of the pupils and local community who will be served by the academy, and the effectiveness of the institution, why we should consider amending the funding agreement.

Academy Students

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students in each academy in January 2006 were resident  (a) in the ward in which the school is situated,  (b) in neighbouring wards,  (c) elsewhere within the local authority area and  (d) outside that local authority.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authorit/ school name  Percentage of pupils( 1)  resident in the ward in which school is situated  Percentage of pupils( 1)  resident in neighbouring( 2)  wards  Percentage of pupils( 1)  resident elsewhere in the local authority  Percentage of pupils( 1)  resident outside of the local authority  Percentage of pupils( 1)  with unknown residence 
			  Barnet  
			 London Academy 18.1 64.6 8.2 8.7 0.5 
			   
			  Bexley  
			 The Business Academy Bexley 31.9 42.1 31.7 25.8 0.4 
			   
			  Bradford  
			 Dixons City Academy 10.0 33.5 52.5 3.8 0.2 
			   
			  Brent  
			 Capital City Academy 10.4 43.3 33.3 11.3 1.7 
			   
			  Bristol  
			 The City Academy Bristol 34.4 46.4 17.7 0.6 0.9 
			   
			  Doncaster  
			 Trinity Academy 60.1 38.1 0.4 0.8 0.8 
			   
			  Ealing  
			 West London Academy 44.0 31.1 18.6 6.0 0.2 
			   
			  Enfield  
			 Greig City Academy 8.1 15.0 51.7 23.5 1.7 
			   
			  Greenwich  
			 St. Pauls Academy 14.5 39.3 34.6 11.2 I 0.3 
			   
			  Hackney  
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 10.6 49.6 33.1 5.2 1.4 
			   
			  Hillingdon  
			 Stockley Academy 34.9 43.9 19.0 2.0 0.3 
			 The Harefield Academy 43.8 12.1 29.9 13.9 0.2 
			   
			  Kent  
			 The Marlowe Academy 12.1 22.9 63.0 1.8 0.2 
			   
			  Lambeth  
			 Lambeth Academy 23.5 65.4 4.5 5.0 1.7 
			   
			  Lewisham  
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College 10.0 26.5 24.6 37.9 1.1 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy 22.2 29.4 37.6 10.4 0.4 
			   
			  Liverpool  
			 The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi 28.1 42.8 25.3 1.1 2.7 
			   
			  Manchester  
			 Manchester Academy 33.0 29.8 33.4 2.4 1.3 
			   
			  Middlesbrough  
			 Unity City Academy 25.2 71.1 1.6 0.7 1.4 
			 The King's Academy 41.1 38.2 15.6 4.5 0.5 
			 Macmillan Academy 3.0 29.0 48.2 19.2 0.6 
			   
			  Northamptonshire  
			 Northampton Academy 24.2 69.5 6.1 0.0 0.2 
			   
			  Nottingham  
			 Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 11.3 51.0 34.5 2.6 0.6 
			  Salford  
			 Salford City Academy 46.4 45.4 I 6.6 1.0 0.5 
			   
			  Southwark  
			 City of London Academy (Southwark) 33.7 41.6 15.8 7.9 0.9 
			 The Academy at Peckham 10.3 57.2 23.5 8.6 0.4 
			   
			  Walsall  
			 Walsall Academy 39.0 37.3 14.4 8.5 0.9 
			 (1) Includes pupils aged five to 15 years, solely registered or main registration of dually registered pupils. (2) Neighbouring wards are wards that share a boundary with the ward in which the school is located.  Source: Schools Census 2006

Academy Students

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of building each academy so far completed.

Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table. The average cost of post-16 places is higher than for pre-16 ones. The average cost of a completed Academy with 1,300 pupils and a sixth form in a high-cost inner-city area has been £25-30 million. The average cost of a new secondary school of this size and location has similarly been £25-30 million. The average cost per pupil of new build voluntary aided schools which the Department is currently funding is £24,446(1) as opposed to Academies at £19,792(2).
	(1 )rounded to the nearest GBP.
	(2 )rounded to nearest GBP and with one Academy's capital cash limit undetermined.
	
		
			  Open Academies  Current agreed capital cash limit (£)  Pupil number capacity 
			 The Academy at Peckham 30,169,539 1,450 
			 The Academy of St Francis of Assisi 20,868,385 900 
			 The Business Academy Bexley 38,459,531 1,820 
			 Capital City Academy 26,994,000 1,200 
			 The City Academy, Bristol 27,666,644 1,250 
			 The City of London Academy 33,361,132 1,200 
			 Dixons City Academy 6,510,494 1,060 
			 Djanogly City Academy 21,587,127 1,580 
			 Greig City Academy 16,479,000 1,250 
			 Haberdasher's Aske's Hatcham College Academy 7,045,000 1,340 
			 Haberdasher's Aske's Knights Academy 40,380,591 1,350 
			 The Harefield Academy 26,418,502 1,000 
			 The King's Academy 22,301,104 1,250 
			 Lambeth Academy 25,445,886 900 
			 London Academy 31,398,939 1,425 
			 MacMillan Academy 13,034,762 1,435 
			 Manchester Academy 19,786,149 1,150 
			 The Marlowe Academy 27,803,246 1,080 
			 Mossbourne Community Academy 27,973,726 900 
			 The Northampton Academy 27,358,929 1,420 
			 Salford City Academy 15,052,758 750 
			 St Paul's Academy 31,189,300 1,200 
			 Stockley Academy 25,809,685 1,150 
			 Trinity Academy 25,070,483 1,470 
			 Unity City Academy 20,590,000 1,200 
			 Walsall Academy 17,321,463 1,200 
			 West London Academy 31,163,389 1,150 
			 Barnsley 25,506,332 1,150 
			 Petchey 34,214,999 1,200 
			 David Young, Leeds 23,577,588 1'170 
			 North Liverpool 32,552,363 1,750 
			 John Madejski, Reading 27,656,303 1,200 
			 Sandwell 27,150,000 1,200 
			 Sheffield Springs 27,300,000 1,300 
			 Sheffield Park 29,000,000 1,300 
			 Grace, Solihull 31,595,149 1,350 
			 Westminster 29,782,247 1,175 
			 Paddington 31,175,682 1,175 
			 Walthamstow 29,950,551 1,150 
			 Burlington Danes 15,600,000 1,150 
			 Gateway, Thurrock 27,000,000 1,400 
			 St Mark's Merton (1—) 1,200 
			 Harris Merton 5,180,000 1,200 
			 Bermondsey 17,070,000 1,150 
			 Harris Boys Academy East Dulwich 16,250,000 950 
			 Landau Forte 4,600,000 1,120 
			 (1) Not yet determined

Building Schools for the Future

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of how much has been spent on  (a) schools capital investment and  (b) the Building Schools for the Future programme in the 2006-07 financial year.

Jim Knight: Capital allocations for 2006-07 are budgeted to reach £5.9 billion, of which some £2 billion relates to Building Schools for the Future. These allocations are made to support local capital investment decisions by local authorities and schools. It is currently expected that some £700 million of capital grant, related to Building Schools for the Future, will be carried forward into 2007-08.

Building Schools for the Future

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 209W, how much of the £5.5 billion his Department allocated for schools capital investment in 2005-06 was  (a) allocated to and  (b) spent under the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: When the schools capital programme was set following the last spending review, some £2 billion was set aside for Building Schools for the Future in 2005-06. All of these funds have been allocated to BSF projects, and £166 million of unspent capital grant was carried forward to the current financial year.

Child Mentoring

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department has spent on child mentoring schemes in each of the last three years; how much he expects to spend on such schemes in 2006-07; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial support available for such schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the full range of child mentoring. The following tables provide the information that is available. Full evaluation will take place at the conclusion of each of these programmes.
	(i): The Prince's Trust Quality Assurance for Mentoring Care Leavers Programme:
	
		
			 2003-04 39,000 
			 2004-05 38,000 
			 2005-06 39,000 
		
	
	(ii): The DfES National Peer Mentoring programme:
	
		
			 2004-05 290,000 
			 2005-06 240,000 
			 2006-07 240,000 
		
	
	(iii): The DfES Formalised Peer Mentoring Pilot.
	
		
			 2006-07 750,000 
			 2007-08 750,000 
		
	
	(iv): The Department is also establishing a pilot mentoring programme for 600 looked after children aged between 10 and 15. Delivery of this programme will be through the voluntary sector and the Department expect to award the contract shortly. Funding of up to £1.5 million has been made available over the two financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Children in Care: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects the bursaries for looked after children to be made available.

Jim Knight: The £2000 bursary for all young people in care who go on to higher education will be available from autumn 2008. The exact details of the implementation will be confirmed following the outcome of the next comprehensive spending review.

Children's Fund: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Children's Fund.

Beverley Hughes: The Children's Fund will ultimately migrate into children's trusts by 2008 and will build upon, complement and, in some cases, form the cornerstone of the trust's overall preventive agenda. Given the contribution of Children's Fund in providing good quality preventative services for 5-13 year olds and their families, we would expect that local authorities will continue to commission this work.
	Decisions about funding beyond 2008 will be taken as part of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). We expect any funding identified in CSR to deliver the kind of services which Children's Fund currently provide will be pooled with funding to deliver other outcomes for children and young people. This funding will be routed through local authorities and it is unlikely that it will be ring-fenced.

Dartington College of Art

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will urge the Higher Education Funding Council for England to continue to provide financial support at the present level to Dartington College of Art on the Dartington Estate near Totnes until 2014;
	(2)  if he will take steps to initiate talks between the Trustees of Dartington Trust and the Governors of the Dartington College of Art to broker a solution tothe current financial difficulties relating to the future of the college; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: During the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 Parliament decided that Ministers should have no responsibility for funding individual higher education institutions. Against that background, the responsibility for the future of Dartington College of Arts must rest with the College itself. I understand the College has been looking at a number of options and I am sure that these will be fully explored. While I hope that the distinctive provision the College offers can be retained in the region, the final decision on the future of the College has to be taken locally.

Departmental Expenditure

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department's total spend on TV advertising in the last year was as follows:
	
		
			  TV spend DFES, 1 December 2005 to 30 November 2006 
			  Job No.  Job Name  Dates  Cost (£) 
			 269689 Student finance 05/06—MTV promo incl. production 1-31 January 2006 25,299.58 
			 269036 Teenage pregnancy 05/06 2 January 2006 to 26 March 2006 400,000.00 
			 275091 Student finance 06/07 4 September 2006 to 1 October 2006 1,654,365.00 
			 276330 Adult basic skills 06/07 4 September 2006 to 1 October 2006 1,434,056.75 
			 276330 Adult basic skills 06/07—interactive TV 4 September 2006 to 1 October 2006 78,722.00 
			 275091 Student finance 06/07 EMAP and RSVP TV 16-29 November 2006 57,500.00 
			 275248 Teenage pregnancy 06/07 27-30 November 2006 72,620.00 
			 — — Total 3,697,263.75 
		
	
	All figures are exclusive of VAT.

Education: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what approvals his Department has given for capital expenditure on  (a) schools and nurseries and  (b) colleges in Darlington since 1997.

Jim Knight: Funding is distributed by the Department in terms of allocations rather than specific approvals, and detailed records of expenditure are held at local authority level, including projects funded from income not provided by the Department. Records of allocations to Darlington for schools, which include nursery classes in primary schools, are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 0.7 
			 1998-99 0.9 
			 1999-2000 2.0 
			 2000-01 4.0 
			 2001-02 4.9 
			 2002-03 5.3 
			 2003-04 45.0 
			 2004-05 4.2 
			 2005-06 4.5 
			 2006-07 25.0 
			 2007-08 4.4 
		
	
	Allocations include £34.9 million for a PFI scheme in 2003-04, and £20.8 million for Targeted Capital Fund Schemes in 2006-07, those for 2007-08 are provisional. Additional allocations for children's centres in Darlington, including nursery provision, are set out in the following table. No allocation has as yet been made for 2007-08.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 1997-98 0.0 
			 1998-99 0.00 
			 1999-2000 0.0 
			 2000-01 0.0 
			 2001-02 0.00 
			 2002-03 0.06 
			 2003-04 0.16 
			 2004-05 0.37 
			 2005-06 0.37 
			 2006-07 0.63 
			 2007-08 — 
		
	
	Since 1997, both colleges in Darlington have had capital projects approved by and partly funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Darlington College's campus relocation project was approved in December 2003. Approved costs amounted to £32.7 million of which £13.08 million was funded by the LSC.
	Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College had a west wing extension approved in October 2000 at a total cost of £2.6 million. This project was partially completed incurring a cost of £0.54 million, including grant paid of £0.19 million. This has since been incorporated into a west wing revised project, approved in August 2003 and completed in 2004. Approved costs were £4.99 million of which £1.5 million was funded by the LSC.

Employer Training Pilots

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost has been of the employer training pilots; how many level two qualifications have been awarded under the pilots; and what proportion of those qualifications were awarded to those in care.

Phil Hope: holding answer 12 December 2006
	 The total cost of the employer training pilots was £350 million. 159,889 learners achieved a Level 2 qualification through the pilots.
	35,587 Level 2 qualifications were awarded to those working in the care sector, contributing 26 per cent. of the total. The majority of these qualifications, 33,988, were for a NVQ Level 2 in Care.

Financial Hardship

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of financial hardship among children and young people upon  (a) educational achievement,  (b) participation in extra curricular activities and  (c) exclusion from school.

Jim Knight: DfES national attainment statistics indicate that there is a strong relationship between financial hardship and educational achievement. We have less clear evidence on the specific effect of financial hardship on participation in extra curricular activities and on exclusions.
	 (a) Educational achievement
	National key stage assessment results show a relationship between being a child from a family with low income and lower attainment.
	28.3 per cent. of pupils eligible for free school meals (a proxy measure for income/social class) achieved 5+ A*-C GCSEs compared to 55.8 per cent. of pupils not eligible for free school meals (2006 data)(1).
	Around a third of low attaining pupils are from low income families. 32 per cent. of low attaining pupils at Key Stage 2 were eligible free school meal (FSM), and 28 per cent. at Key Stage 4 (low attainment is defined here as being in the bottom quartile of attainment)(2).
	 (b) Participation in extra curricular activities
	DfES commissioned research on the cost of schooling(3) found that family income influenced the average spend on schooling (this included spending on school trips, music lessons).
	Of families earning less than £15,000 a year, 55 per cent. said they found it quite difficult or very difficult to meet the costs of schooling. For those with an income less than £10,000 a year, the figure was 62 per cent.
	There is also some evidence reported in the DfES commissioned Young People's Social Attitudes survey(4), that income is significantly associated with participation in leisure activities.
	 (c) Exclusion from school
	The Department has not commissioned any research which explores the impact of financial hardship on exclusions from school. However, statistics comparing the 2002/03 permanent exclusion rate of pupils eligible for free schools meals (FSM), as a proxy for deprivation show that, in general, schools with high permanent exclusion rates tended to have high percentages of pupils' eligible for free school meals(5).
	(1) DfES Statistical First Release 46/2006: "National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional)", issued November 2006 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000693/index.shtml
	(2) DfES Statistics of Education 02/05: "The Characteristics of Low Attaining Pupils", issued June 2005 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/bOOQ588/index.shtml
	(3) Tim Brunwin, T. Sam Clernens, S., Deakin, G & Ed Mortimer, E. (2004) "The Cost of Schooling". DfES RR588 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR588.pdf
	(4) Park, A., Phillips, M. & Johnson, M. (2004). Young People in Britain: The Attitudes and Experiences of 12 to 19 Year Olds. DfES RR564 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR564.pdf
	(5) DfES Statistical First Release (SFR42/2004) Permanent "Exclusions from Maintained Schools in England 2002/03", issued November 2004 http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000535/index.shtml

Foundation Degrees

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills from which organisations he has received representations since the publication of the Further Education and Training Bill on the granting to further education institutions of the power to award foundation degrees.

Bill Rammell: At the present time, my Department has received representations on the proposals in Clause 19 of the Further Education and Training Bill from Universities UK, the Coalition of Modern Universities, the Association of Colleges, and the National Union of Students. The current consultation period runs until 12 January 2007, and we expect to receive further responses in the intervening time. We have made clear our ongoing commitment to working with partners in both the further and higher education sectors to make the proposals function effectively.

Foundation Degrees

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of further education colleges which have the expertise and infrastructure to offer foundation degree courses.

Bill Rammell: There are 275 further education colleges currently offering Foundation Degrees, or 283 including those in the Channel Islands and certain other specialist colleges such as the Britannia Royal Naval College. Of these, we expect that only a very small number, mostly from the mixed economy group of colleges which currently provide 14 per cent. of all Foundation Degree provision, will wish to apply for Foundation Degree Awarding Powers.

Free School Meals

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils received free school dinners in Eastbourne constituency in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the table.
	Information at parliamentary constituency level is not available prior to 1997.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : School meal arrangements 1997-2006 position in January each year—Eastbourne parliamentary constituency 
			   Maintained primary schools 
			   Number on roll( 1,2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals( 3)  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1997 6,791 1,039 15.3 1,464 21.6 
			 1998 6,948 1,065 15.3 1,445 20.8 
			 1999 7,030 959 13.6 1,256 17.9 
			 2000 7,122 981 13.8 1,290 18.1 
			 2001 7,061 957 13.6 1,268 18.0 
			 2002 7,113 897 12.6 1,166 16.4 
			 2003 7,205 917 12.7 1,201 16.7 
			 2004 7,052 885 12.5 1,124 15.9 
			 2005 7,012 837 11.9 1,099 15.7 
			 2006 7,001 834 11.9 1,002 14.3 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary schools 
			   Number on roll( 1,2)  Number of pupils taking free school meals( 3)  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1997 4,304 572 13.3 767 17.8 
			 1998 4,409 617 14.0 838 19.0 
			 1999 4,654 604 13.0 895 19.2 
			 2000 4,877 645 13.2 875 17.9 
			 2001 5,210 593 11.4 829 15.9 
			 2002 5,337 569 10.7 721 13.5 
			 2003 5,568 546 9.8 782 14.0 
			 2004 5,668 541 9.5 774 13.7 
			 2005 5,689 499 8.8 758 13.3 
			 2006 5,735 555 9.7 764 13.3 
			 (1) 1997 to 2002 Includes dually registered pupils and excludes boarding pupils. (2) From 2003 includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils. (3) Number of pupils who took a free school meal on the day of the census in January.  Source: Schools Census

Graduate Teacher Training Registry

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the average processing time is for applications made via the on-line system used by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry;
	(2)  by what means other than the on-line system used by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry for teacher training applications potential applicants can apply;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the on-line system used by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry for teacher training applications.

Jim Knight: Neither I nor the Training and Development Agency for Schools are aware of any particular or widespread problems connected with the Graduate Teacher Training Register service.
	The GTTR encourages application on-line; through paper applications are still available to applicants via the customer service line.
	The GTTR website shows that it has an established complaints procedure—including direct approach to the chief executive if necessary—and any user of the service should make use of this procedure if they are dissatisfied.

Halliburton

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts with his Department and its agencies have been won by Halliburton or its subsidiaries in each year since 1997; what the terms were of each contract; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A complete answer to this question could be provided only at disproportionate costs. However, I can say that my Department has not entered into any private finance initiative or public private partnership contracts with Halliburton or its subsidiaries since 1997. My officials are unaware of any private finance initiative or public private partnership contracts in our non-departmental public bodies with Halliburton or its subsidiaries since 1997.

Higher Education Funding Council

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many further education colleges receive funding directly from the Higher Education Funding Council.

Bill Rammell: 143 further education colleges receive funding directly from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Mathematics: Assessments

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of maintained secondary schools used  (a) AQA,  (b) Edexcel,  (c) OCR exam boards for (i) GCSE and (ii) A level mathematics examinations in 2005.

Jim Knight: We do not have, and it would be inordinately costly to obtain, details of the number of centres entering for each awarding body. We can only provide therefore the overall entry figures, not the entries from maintained secondary schools. However, the figures below contain the percentage of candidate entries from each English awarding body for GCSE mathematics and for A level mathematics in 2005.
	
		
			  Percentage of candidate entries for GCSE and A level mathematics from maintained secondary schools by English awarding bodies: Summer 2005 
			   Percentage 
			  GCE A level  
			 AQA 19.9 
			 EDEXCEL 45.8 
			 OCR 34.3 
			   
			  GCSE  
			 AQA 28.5 
			 EDEXCEL 51.1 
			 OCR 20.3 
			  Note: Maintained secondary schools defined as foundation and maintained comprehensive, selective and modern schools in the JCQ data (centre types 1-6).  Source: JCQ Inter-Awarding Body Statistics compiled by QCA Research and Statistics.

Ofsted Report

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of  (a) pupils,  (b) girls and  (c) boys attending schools that were deemed (i) inadequate and (ii) satisfactory in the annual report of HM Chief Inspector of Schools 2005-06 achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE in 2005-06;
	(2)  what proportion of  (a) pupils,  (b) girls and  (c) boys attending schools that were deemed (i) good and (ii) outstanding in the annual report of HM Chief Inspector of Schools 2005-06 achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE in 2005-06.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2005-06(1) academic year achieving five or more GCSEs or equivalents at grades A*-C split by gender and inspectors' judgements about schools' overall effectiveness as reported in the annual report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools 2005-06.
	(1)2006 GCSE and equivalent attainment statistics are based on provisional data.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C 
			  Judgement  Boys  Girls  All pupils 
			 Outstanding 75.7 83.4 79.9 
			 Good 60.4 68.7 64.7 
			 Satisfactory 46.8 56.2 51.4 
			 Inadequate 37.8 45.9 41.6

Partnership Development Managers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people are employed as partnership development managers; what the  (a) grade and  (b) salary range is of each such post; what the (i) minimum, (ii) median and (iii) maximum salary is of those employed; and how many partnership development managers he expects to recruit over the next 12 months;
	(2)  how much has been allocated for the employment of partnership development managers in the 2006-07 financial year; and what the expected budget is for each of the next three tax years.

Jim Knight: Partnership development managers (PDMs) are employed as part of the School Sport Partnerships programme. There are now 449 School Sport Partnerships covering all maintained schools in England, Each partnership has its own PDM who is responsible for the strategic development of the partnership and liaison with other agencies to develop high quality physical education and school sport. A typical partnership consists of a PDM who manages up to eight school sport co-ordinators and 45 primary link teachers who are responsible for developing opportunities within their secondary and primary schools respectively. A typical partnership receives a ring-fenced grant of around £270,000 per year, depending on the number of schools. Grant is paid directly to the School Sport Partnership host site and covers the salaries of the above posts and teacher release.
	The Department does not hold information on the salary range for all PDMs. A typical PDM salary is around £33,500. As all schools are now within a School Sport Partnership we do not expect there to be any additional PDM appointments in the coming year.
	The budget for the School Sport Partnership programme is £111,571,824 for the financial year 2006-07 and £114,685,385 for the financial year 2007-08. Funding beyond that is dependent on the outcome of the current comprehensive spending review.

Primary Schools: Vegetable Gardens

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what encouragement is being given to primary schools to introduce children to the cultivation of vegetables.

Jim Knight: Since 2001, the Growing Schools programme has encouraged schools to use the outdoor classroom as a resource across the curriculum for pupils of all ages and abilities. This year's 'Great Vegetable Challenge' for primary schools to design or improve a school garden attracted more than 600 entries and over 15,000 requests for the resource pack.
	Growing Schools is a key contributor to the Manifesto for Learning Outside the Classroom, launched by the Secretary of State on 28 November, and to the Year of Food and Farming, starting in September 2007.

Pupil Exclusions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many permanent exclusions from secondary schools took place in each local authority which has an academy in its area between 2003-04 and the last date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools( 1) : Number of permanent exclusions( 2 ) — Academic years 2003/04 and 2004/05—By local authority area in England 
			   2003/04  2004/05 
			   Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of the school population( 3)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of the school population( 4) 
			  England( 5) 8,320 0.25 8,070 0.24 
			  
			  Local authorities which have an Academy( 6) 
			 Barnet 42 0.20 56 0.29 
			 Barnsley 8 0.06 4 0.03 
			 Bexley 51 0.28 48 0.26 
			 Bradford 66 0.19 59 0.17 
			 Brent 61 0.38 79 0.49 
			 Bristol, City of 33 0.20 39 0.24 
			 Derby 88 0.57 67 0.43 
			 Doncaster 52 0.24 63 0.31 
			 Eating 48 0.32 74 0.49 
			 Greenwich 69 0.46 91 0.60 
			 Hackney 26 0.35 17 0.24 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 13 0.18 15 0.21 
			 Haringey 20 0.18 28 0.24 
			 Hillingdon 61 0.34 54 0.31 
			 Kent 306 0.31 301 0.30 
			 Lambeth 10 0.13 20 0.25 
			 Leeds 172 0.36 118 0.25 
			 Lewisham 34 0.29 22 0.19 
			 Liverpool 107 0.32 62 0.19 
			 Manchester 34 0.14 56 0.24 
			 Merton 20 0.23 32 0.37 
			 Middlesbrough 10 0.17 10 0.18 
			 Northamptonshire 107 0.23 114 0.25 
			 Nottingham 56 0.40 58 0.42 
			 Reading 20 0.32 17 0,28 
			 Salford 100 0.79 69 0,55 
			 Sandwell 60 0.30 60 0.30 
			 Sheffield 82 0.26 95 0.30 
			 Solihull 18 0.11 54 0.35 
			 Southwark 47 0.47 28 0.27 
			 Thurrock 7 0.08 16 0.18 
			 Walsall 32 0.15 22 0.10 
			 Waltham Forest 24 0.17 46 0.33 
			 Westminster 40 0.48 30 0.35 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) As reported by local authorities as part of the data checking process. (3) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) pupils in secondary schools, excluding in January 2004. (4) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) pupils in secondary schools, excluding in January 2005, (5) National totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. (6) Local authorities which have an academy open within them as at December 2006.  Source:  Schools Census

Pupil Exclusions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students were excluded from each academy between 2003-04 and the last date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Academies( 1) : number and percentage of permanent exclusions from schools in England 2003-04 and 2004-05 
			2003-04  2004-05 
			  Establishment name  LA name  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of permanent exclusions( 2)  Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of permanent exclusions( 3) 
			 Capital City Academy Brent 4 0.48 11 1.21 
			 City of London Academy (Southwark) Southwark 0 0.00 3 0.83 
			 Dixons City Academy Bradford (4)— (4)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Djanogly City Academy Nottingham Nottingham 3 0.20 11 0.70 
			 Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy Lewisham (4)— 4— (5)— (5)— 
			 London Academy Barnet (5)— (4)— 0 0.00 
			 Manchester Academy Manchester 3 0.44 0 0.00 
			 Northampton Academy Northamptonshire 9 (4)— 9 0.72 
			 Salford City Academy Salford (4)— (4)— 6 (4)— 
			 Stockley Academy Hillingdon 3 (4)— 4 0.68 
			 The Academy at Peckham Southwark 5 0.51 10 0.93 
			 The Business Academy Bexley Bexley 6 0.72 7 0.51 
			 The City Academy Bristol Bristol City of 7 0.64 4 0.37 
			 The King's Academy Middlesbrough 27 2.60 7 0.67 
			 Unity City Academy Middlesbrough 8 0.71 6 0.53 
			 Walsall Academy Walsall (5)— (5)— 0 0.00 
			 West London Academy Ealing 8 1.03 22 1.95 
			 (1) Academies with one or more permanent exclusions in 2003-04 or 2004-05. (2) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in the school as at January 2004. (3) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the headcount of pupils in the school as at January 2005. (4) Not available (5 )One or two exclusions, or a rate based on one or two exclusions  Source: School Census

Qualifications

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of  (a) White British,  (b) Black Caribbean,  (c) Black African,  (d) Indian,  (e) Pakistani,  (f) Bangladeshi and  (g) other ethnic groups who were entitled to free school meals attained no recognised qualifications at school leaving age in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by sex.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Achievements at GCSE and Equivalents for Pupils at the End of Key Stage 4, in maintained schools, in 2006. by Ethnicity and Free School Meal Provision 
			   Non FSM  FSM 
			  Ethnicity  Eligible pupils  Percentage achieving no places  Eligible pupils  Percentage achieving no places 
			  Boys 
			  White 226,037 2.6 27,356 8.9 
			 White British 220,081 2.5 26,011 9.1 
			 Irish 848 3.5 182 7.7 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 36 22.2 21 38.1 
			 Gypsy/Roma 101 27.7 72 15.3 
			 Any other White background 4,971 3.1 1,070 3.7 
			  
			  Mixed 5,123 2.9 1,377 6.5 
			 White and Black Caribbean 1,803 3.8 613 6.4 
			 White and Black African 475 2.1 126 7.1 
			 White and Asian 1,050 1.7 163 5.5 
			 Any other mixed background 1,795 3 475 6.7 
			  Asian 13,863 2 5,502 2.7 
			 Indian 6,202 1.1 824 1.8 
			 Pakistani 4,627 2.3 2,624 3.1 
			 Bangladeshi 1,304 2.8 1,553 2.3 
			 Any other Asian background 1,730 3.9 501 3.8 
			  
			  Black 7,456 3 3,350 4.2 
			 Black Caribbean 3,177 3.4 1,024 5.1 
			 Black African 3,272 2.6 1,939 3.1 
			 Any other Black background 1,007 3.1 387 7.5 
			  
			  Chinese 1,019 1 123 1.6 
			  
			 Any other ethnic group 1,700 3.8 934 4.5 
			  
			 All Pupils(1) 262,154 2.6 39,554 7.5 
			  
			  Girls 
			  White 217,990 1.7 26,901 6.2 
			 White British 212,013 1.7 25,655 6.2 
			 Irish 939 1.9 192 6.8 
			 Traveller of Irish heritage 36 11.1 33 30.3 
			 Gypsy/Roma 70 27.1 69 17.4 
			 Any other White background 4,932 1.9 952 3.4 
			  
			  Mixed 5,346 2.1 1,474 4.7 
			 White and Black Caribbean 1,978 2.2 647 5.6 
			 White and Black African 475 2.5 165 4.8 
			 White and Asian 1,036 1.9 196 4.6 
			 Any other mixed background 1,857 1.9 466 3.6 
			  
			  Asian 12,881 1 5,111 1.7 
			 Indian 5,732 0.5 749 2 
			 Pakistani 4,249 1.6 2,359 2 
			 Bangladeshi 1,322 0.6 1,628 0.7 
			 Any other Asian background 1,578 1.3 375 3.2 
			  
			  Black 7,601 1.5 3,344 2.7 
			 Black Caribbean 3,333 1.1 1,054 2.7 
			 Black African 3,348 1.6 1,956 2.6 
			 Any other Black background 920 2.6 334 3.6 
			  
			  Chinese 954 1.3 130 0.8 
			  
			 Any other ethnic group 1,521 2.6 796 3.6 
			  
			 All pupils(1) 252,625 1.7 38,625 5.1 
			 (1 )This includes unclassified pupils

Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that all Government-funded schools are made aware of the recycling opportunities available to them.

Jim Knight: Steps are already being taken by DfES and by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that schools are aware of recycling opportunities. Under our Sustainable Schools Strategy and framework, "purchasing and waste" is one of the eight areas that schools can take action on to improve their overall performance. Guidance is available to schools on Teachernet (http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools/) and, since April 2006, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has received funding from DEFRA to work with schools.

School Discipline

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will break down by substance involved the number of exclusions listed under Drug and Alcohol Related for London in the answer of 18 April 2006 to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell),  Official Report, columns 176-78W, on school discipline.

Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally. Schools and local authorities select from 12 categories which best describe the reason for exclusion. One category for reason for exclusion is 'drug and alcohol related', but this is not broken down by type of substance.

School Meals

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the calorific content of drinks to be provided in schools under the new schools food regime.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has not made such an assessment. On the advice of the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust and in order to encourage the consumption of healthier and more nutritious drinks while at school, the new nutritional standards for school food allow only plain water (still or sparkling) and nutritious drinks such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk; fruit juices; yoghurt drinks with less than 5 per cent. added sugar; or combinations of these drinks.

School Meals

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils attending each of the 25 schools achieving the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest percentage of pupils achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs in 2005-06 were entitled to free school meals.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The Department will answer this question and make the answer available in the House of Commons Library when the 2006 secondary school achievement and attainment tables are published in January 2007.

School Meals

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils received free school meals in each local authority area in  (a) 1979,  (b) 1992,  (c) 1997 and  (d) the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the Library.

School Waste Management

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was paid by schools in England for the disposal of recyclables in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect expenditure data relating specifically to the disposal of recyclables.

Schools: Funding

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what schemes for schools are directly funded by his Department.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the recurrent grants available to local authorities for schools in 2006-2007. The grants in the table are those made available to schools over and above their delegated school budgets. School standards grants, school development grant and the devolved school meals grant are allocated to all maintained schools. The distribution of the other grants to schools is determined locally after discussion with the local schools forum.
	Local authorities and their schools have also been allocated £12.3 billion for capital investment in schools across the current financial year and the next. This is available for investment in buildings and information technology facilities in primary and secondary schools. It is the responsibility of local authorities and their schools to determine how they allocate these funds to different projects across the primary and secondary estate, taking account of local needs and priorities. Local authorities may supplement this if they are able to secure funding from other sources.
	
		
			  Recurrent grants available to schools 2006-07 
			   Allocation (£ million) 
			 School standards grant 1,009 
			 School standards grant (personalisation) 220 
			 School development grant 1,989 
			 Ethnic minority achievement (EMAG) 174 
			 English as an additional language pilot programme 1 
			 Targeted improvement grant 8 
			 Devolved school meals grant 30 
			 Targeted school meals grant 50 
			 Extended schools 67 
			 Targeted support for primary strategy 137 
			 Targeted support for secondary strategy 105 
			 Aimhigher 30 
			 Fresh start and new partnerships (recurrent and capital) 6 
			 Music at key stage 2 3 
			 London challenge 19

Schools: Special Measures

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils there are in schools that are in special measures; and what his estimate is of the average funding per pupil in those schools;
	(2)  what the socio-economic characteristics are of each school which is in special measures.;
	(3)  what the name is of each school which was in special measures in each of the last 10 years; and in which local authority ward each is based.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Schools: Admissions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of paragraph 2.13 of the draft schools admission code on siblings and selective schools on schools in  (a) Herefordshire and  (b) elsewhere.;
	(2)  what the intended consequence is of paragraph 2.13 on siblings and selective schools of the draft schools admission code;
	(3)  how many schools in England select a proportion of their pupils on the basis of  (a) aptitude,  (b) ability and  (c) a combination of both in each local education authority area;
	(4)  what modelling exercise has been carried out on the potential effects of paragraph 2.13 of the draft schools admissions code on school admissions.

Jim Knight: Information on the pattern of admissions for September 2006 is available on local authority and school websites. From this data it is clear that, where a school admits more than 10 per cent. of its pupils by reference to aptitude or ability and also adopts the sibling oversubscription criterion, fewer children who live close to the school have priority for admission. Some of these schools currently admit more than 40 per cent. of their children based on a sibling connection rather than proximity.
	The school admissions code will ensure fairness in admission arrangements for all children. This includes families that want their first child or only child to attend a good local school.
	We do not consider that the proposed changes will affect schools in Herefordshire as we believe that no Herefordshire school selects more than 10 per cent. of its intake by reference to aptitude, and none admit based on ability.
	We do not routinely monitor information on how many schools have partially selective arrangements, or the type of arrangements such schools adopt; neither do we require schools which admit 10 per cent. of their intake by reference to aptitude under section 102 of the SSFA 1998 to notify the Government.
	We know there are 164 wholly selective (by ability) grammar schools. Of the 41 partially selective schools, of which we are aware, four select a proportion of their intake by aptitude, 28 by ability and nine by a combination of each.
	In 2001, 45 of the then 685 specialist schools reported that they selected 10 per cent. of their intake by reference to aptitude. This is the most up-to-date data available.

Schools: Admissions

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of applications at the age of transfer from primary to secondary education for a place at secondary school did not result in the pupil concerned being placed in their first choice of secondary school in each local education authority in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The Department does not collect this data. Research carried out by Sheffield Hallam university in 2001 showed 92 per cent. of parents were offered a place at their first choice of school; 96 per cent. were offered a place at a school for which they had expressed a preference; and 4 per cent. of parents were not offered a place at any school for which a preference was expressed.

Schools: Admissions

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 134W, on schools admissions, 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of partially selective schools that will be permitted to continue to give priority to siblings under the proposed school admissions code; on what grounds an adjudicator may decide under the code to allow partially selective schools to give priority to siblings; whether it is his policy that an adjudicator should only grant permission to deviate from good practice guidance under the code in exceptional circumstances; and what research his Department has conducted on the effect on giving siblings priority at partially selective schools;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of pupils at partially selective schools who were admitted (i) on the grounds of sibling priority, (ii) on the grounds of sibling priority where the sibling attending the school had been admitted on the grounds of ability or aptitude and (iii) who were admitted neither on the grounds of ability or aptitude nor sibling priority.

Jim Knight: The Department knows of 41 schools which have partially selective arrangements. The draft code proposed that these schools should not give priority to siblings. This is not an absolute prohibition: it would remain open to such schools to determine to give priority to siblings. Responses to the consultation are currently being considered.
	Data on admission arrangements for 2006/07 was available for 23 of the 41 partially selective schools on their local authority and school websites. The data do not provide the level of detail requested by the hon. Member. However, nine of those schools admitted over 40 per cent. of their intake based on sibling criteria and a further seven admitted between 20 per cent. and 39 per cent. based on sibling criteria. With the proportion of pupils admitted to selective places up to 40-50 per cent. in some schools, this can mean that fewer than 20 per cent. of a school's places may be allocated to local families.
	The Schools Adjudicator is independent of the Secretary of State and reaches his own decisions based on the facts of the case before him. However, section 84 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as amended by section 40 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 will require the adjudicator to 'act in accordance with the Code'. In reaching his decision on any objection, the adjudicator will take into account advice in the code.

Schools: Attendance

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of pupil numbers in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in each of the next 10 years.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The Department's estimates for the number of pupils in England are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Projected numbers of pupils( 1)  (in thousands) in maintained primary and secondary schools 
			   Thousand 
			  January  Maintained primary schools( 2)  Maintained secondary schools 
			 2007 3,985 3,265 
			 2008 3,969 3,202 
			 2009 3,957 3,151 
			 2010 3,966 3,111 
			 2011 3,977 3,054 
			 (1 )Full-time equivalents, counting each part-time pupil as 0.5. The numbers have been rounded to the nearest one thousand. (2 )Pupil numbers in maintained primary schools includes those in nursery classes. 
		
	
	The figures given in the table exclude academies and city technology colleges.
	Projections are shown up to 2011 only because of the increasing degree of uncertainty over time, particularly for post-compulsory schooling.

Schools: Construction

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies contracted to carry out the Building Schools for the Future programme recruit under 25 year-olds previously not in employment, education or training (NEETs); and how many former NEETs are working for companies on such contracts.

Jim Knight: Whilst DfES supports the employment of NEETs, the private sector contractors engaged in the Building Schools for the Future programme are responsible for the recruitment of their own employees and, as such, also hold any data identifying the make-up of their workforce. It is not possible to tell how many young people who were once NEET are working for particular companies.

Schools: Construction

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether meeting the BREEAM environmental standard is one of the criteria for spending on school infrastructure under the 'Building Schools for the Future' programme;
	(2)  how many schools' buildings in England meet the BREEAM environmental standard;
	(3)  what environmental criteria are applied to schools' bids under the 'Building Schools for the Future' programme.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	DfES has made it a condition of funding that all major new build and refurbishment projects valued at:
	over 500,000 for primary schools and
	£2 million for secondary schools
	and involving rebuilding or complete refurbishment of more than 10 per cent. of the floor area of a school should be subject to a schools BREEAM assessment(1).
	(1) www.breeam.org/schools.html
	Projects of this value are required to register with the Building Research Establishment for BREEAM Certification.
	DfES expects all these schemes to achieve at least a very good rating.
	Smaller schemes may also be suitable for formal BREEAM assessment and designers should, as far as practicable, apply the same standards to all projects.
	The BREEAM Schools scheme was introduced in early 2005. By 30 November 2006, 347 schools had registered for 'BREEAM Schools' certification but only four schools had completed the assessment. One achieved a 'pass' rating, one a 'good' and two a 'very good'. In addition one school has achieved an excellent rating using a bespoke version of 'BREEAM' before the 'BREEAM Schools' version became available.
	Most of the environmental criteria which apply to Building Schools for the Future (BSF) schools are contained in the Building Regulations. In addition there are three areas of environmental performance in BSF monitored by Key Performance Indicators:
	BREEAM Schools
	Construction Waste; and
	Energy efficiency in operation.

Schools: Construction

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether incentives are included in the Building Schools for the Future programme to promote  (a) ecologically-friendly building designs and  (b) methods to conserve energy and reduce carbon production.

Jim Knight: The Department has adopted 'BREEAM Schools', an adaptation of an internationally recognised environmental assessment method. It is a specific requirement that new school buildings and refurbishment projects above a threshold achieve a BREEAM rating of 'very good' or better. This provides a strong incentive for design teams to consider ecological principles and reduce carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems.
	These standards are specified in all Building Schools for the Future contracts as key performance indicators. Contractors' performance will be measured against the indicators and penalties applied if they are missed.

Schools: Construction

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had on VAT and the Building Schools for the Future programme since the programme's inception.

Jim Knight: My officials have a continuing dialogue with HM Treasury colleagues about VAT and other issues.

Schools: Construction

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether VAT costs are included in the total budget for the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: Where projects within Building Schools for the Future attract VAT, these costs will be covered by the programme budget.

Schools: Cornwall

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which rural  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have closed in Cornwall since 1997.

Jim Knight: The rural schools closed in Cornwall since 1997, by Phase of Education, are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Primary closures 
			  School name  Town  Year of closure 
			 Nine Maidens Community Primary School Redruth 2003 
			 Carnkie Community Primary School Redruth 2003 
			 Tresillian Infant School Truro 2004 
			 Liskeard Infant School Liskeard 2006 
			 Liskeard Junior School Liskeard 2006 
		
	
	S econdary closures:
	There have been no secondary closures since 1997.
	 Note:
	The figures above include schools that closed as a result of the amalgamation or merger of two or more schools; schools that have closed but re-opened as voluntary schools with a religious character; and schools that have closed in local authorities that have moved from a three-tier to a two-tier system.
	 Source:
	EduBase

Schools: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was allocated to  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools per pupil in Darlington in each year since 1979.

Jim Knight: The Department did not collect school level data prior to 2000-01. The following table sets out the total funding per pupil allocated by Darlington local education authority to its primary and secondary schools since 2000-01.
	
		
			  Total budget share plus grants( 1 ) per pupil( 2 ) allocated( 3)  to local authority maintained primary and secondary schools( 4)  in Darlington—2000-01 to 2006-07—cash terms figures( 5)  as reported by Darlington local authority as at 8 December 2006 
			  £ 
			   Primary school budget share plus grants per pupil  Secondary school budget share plus grants per pupil 
			 2000-01 1,730 2,480 
			 2001-02 2,050 2,730 
			 2002-03 2,150 2,890 
			 2003-04 2,410 3,070 
			 2004-05 2,560 3,240 
			 2005-06 2,740 3,730 
			 2006-07 3,080 4,170 
			 (1 )Budget share plus grants is the combination of the schools individual budget share plus any revenue grants allocated to the school at the start of the financial year. In 2000-01, any School Standards Grant allocated to individual schools at the start of the financial year was not recorded and is therefore excluded from the 2000-01 figures. Similarly, in 2003-04, any Excellence in Cities Grant allocated to schools was not recorded and is therefore excluded from the 2003-04 figures. (2) The amount of money allocated to a school depends very much on the individual local authorities' own policy for funding their schools. Different authorities retain varying amounts of funding centrally to spend on behalf of their schools while others chose to give schools more autonomy over how they spend their money by devolving more funding to the individual school. (3) The pupil numbers used to calculate the per pupil amounts are as reported by the local authority on their Section 52 Budget Statement comprising of the full time equivalent number pupils registered at the school used for the initial determination of the school's budget share under the local authority's allocation formula. (4) All schools are as deemed by the local authority on their Section 52 Budget Statement. Hence middle deemed primary schools are included in the primary figures and middle deemed secondary schools are included in the secondary figures. Secondary figures also include any LSC funding and LSC pupils for schools with sixth forms. (5) Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. (6) The data are drawn from Darlington local authority's Section 52 Budget Statements (table 2) submitted to the Department for Education and Skills.

Schools: Fire Prevention

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what studies he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the use of sprinklers in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We commissioned one set of consultants to produce a cost analysis of sprinklers in schools. Their study covers 26 schools. While the primary focus of their report is the capital cost of sprinkler installations, data was also gathered on running costs. The consultants also examined how capital costs might be partially offset by design freedoms, such as fewer fire doors, and what the impact of reduced insurance premiums might be.
	We commissioned separate consultants to develop a risk assessment tool, which promoters and designers of schools will be able to use as an aid to deciding when sprinklers are needed in school projects. In parallel they are developing a full cost-benefit analysis of sprinklers in schools, which is sensitive to small variations in data and can be tailored to specific projects.
	Progress reports on these studies have been presented to a small steering group at monthly meetings through the autumn. This group reports directly to me. The studies should be completed early in January and the group will then make recommendations to me on how we will disseminate the findings. One route will be to include some of the work in our forthcoming guide on fire safety in schools—Building Bulletin 100, "Designing and Managing Against the Risk of fire in Schools". We expect to publish this by April 2007.

Schools: Fire Safety

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average cost of installing a sprinkler system in a new school; what this represents as a percentage of total building cost; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much has been spent on  (a) installing and  (b) maintaining school sprinkler systems in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received from  (a) industry and  (b) fire chiefs on sprinklers in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 13 December 2006
	In July, we commissioned consultants to produce an analysis of the costs of installing sprinklers in schools. Their study covers 26 schools and will give us an average cost for installing sprinklers in new schools—both as a percentage addition to construction costs and as a rate per square metre of floor area. Their study will be concluded early in January 2007 and we will publish the findings.
	The Department does not provide funding specifically for the installation of sprinklers in schools. Local authorities decide what they do with the funding they are allocated. They may choose to install sprinklers when constructing new schools, but do not need to inform us or provide figures on costs. However, the study I refer to above is gathering information on maintenance costs as well as capital costs.
	We have received representations from the Chief Fire Officers Association, individual Fire and Rescue Authorities, the National Fire Sprinkler Network and insurance companies on the value of installing sprinklers in schools. Our public consultation on Building Bulletin 100, "Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools", included questions on sprinklers. We take all of the views expressed very seriously and that is one of the reasons why we commissioned further studies on sprinklers. We saw the need to provide more information about sprinklers and their role in improving property protection, and will be expanding the guidance on their use in schools in the final version of Building Bulletin 100.

Schools: Internet

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of schools in England and Wales which have access to broadband internet.

Jim Knight: Over 99 per cent. of all schools in England have access to the internet and, as at the end of September 2006, over 97 per cent. had access to broadband.

Schools: Leicestershire

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) cash and  (b) percentage change in funding per pupil in each Leicestershire school was in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the Library of the House.

Schools: Rural Areas

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition he uses for  (a) rural and  (b) urban (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Jim Knight: The Department's register of schools—Edubase—includes a rural/urban indicator for both primary and secondary schools based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data about the area in which the school is situated. Statutory guidance to decision-makers says that there should be a presumption against the closure of rural schools. In deciding whether or not a school is rural, decision-makers may also consider any other relevant evidence presented to them, in addition to the indicator.
	Under the provisions of the Education Act 2005, special provisions apply to rural primary schools, and the Department plans to issue a list of such schools shortly. This is also based on ONS data, cross-checked with local authorities.

Schools: Southampton

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions his officials have had with Southampton city council on a competition to provide new schools under the provisions of the Education Act 2006; what form the discussions took; and on what dates they took place.

Jim Knight: holding answer 11 December 2006
	Officers of the authority telephoned the Department on 24 October 2006 about the proposed local reorganisation of schools, and departmental officials informed them of the legal requirements and procedures governing the opening of secondary schools, including holding a competition under the 2005 Education Act. They also sent copies of guidance by e-mail. On 24 November departmental officials commented by e-mail on a draft notice sent to them by the authority. Officials also sent e-mails to the authority asking about any developments in the proposed reorganisation.
	The authority informed DfES officials by e-mail on 6 December that at its meeting on 27 November the council decided to proceed with plans for the reorganisation. They attached copes of notices that were published on 6 December inviting interested parties to bring forward proposals for two new schools in the area.

Speech Impaired Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of children in England with  (a) communication disability and  (b) impoverished speech and language skills; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 2004, the Department for Education and Skills has collected data on pupils' type of special educational need (SEN) as part of the schools' census. This does not include the term 'communication disability' or 'impoverished speech and language skills' but does include pupils with a specific learning difficulty (SpLD) and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) which are set out in the table. There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded, including:
	Local interpretation of definitions
	Classification of children with multiple needs
	Differences in diagnoses between education and health professionals, and
	Availability of school based provision.
	In addition to the figures in the table, there will also be children at 'School Action' with SpLD and SLCN whose needs are met within school using the flexibilities set out in the national curriculum inclusion statement, Data on type of SEN for these children are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and special schools( 1) : number and percentage of pupils with speech language and communications needs( 2) 
			   SEN pupils by their primary type of need( 2,3) 
			   Primary schools( 4)  Secondary schools( 4) 
			   School action plus  Statement of SEN  School action plus  Statement of SEN 
			   Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			 Specific learning difficulty 31,310 13.4 3,340 5.1 28,340 18.4 13,750 18.6 
			 Speech, language and communication needs 48,990 21.0 14,620 22.5 6,630 4.3 7,980 10.8 
			 Total SEN pupils 233,710 100.0 64,860 100.0 153,650 100.0 73,840 100.0 
		
	
	
		
			   All special schools( 1)  Total 
			   School action plus  Statement of SEN  School action plus  Statement of SEN 
			   Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 5) 
			 Specific learning difficulty 20 1.0 670 0.8 59,660 15.3 17,750 7.9 
			 Speech, language and communication needs 110 7.0 3,440 3.9 55,730 14.3 26,030 11.5 
			 Total SEN pupils 1,530 100.0 87,140 100.0 388,890 100.0 225,840 100.0 
			 (1) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (2) Pupils at school action plus and those pupils with a statement of SEN provided information on their primary need and, if appropriate, their secondary need. Information on primary need only is given here. (3) Excludes dually registered pupils. (4) Includes middle schools as deemed. (5) Number of pupils by their main need expressed as a percentage of all pupils at school action plus or with a statement of SEN.  Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Schools' census

Speech Impaired Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether  (a) partners within a local area agreement and  (b) local strategic partnerships will be required to assess the requirements for speech and language support in their area; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether local authorities have a duty to calculate the number of children in their area with a communication disability.

Parmjit Dhanda: Local authorities are required to include a needs assessment against the five 'Every Child Matters' outcomes, including being healthy and enjoying and achieving, in their Children and Young People's Plan. This assessment should look at outcomes for all children and young people, including those who need speech and language support and/or have a communication disability.
	To help promote effective local collaborative between education and health, the Government are supporting a study by Canterbury Christ Church University of good practice in relation to the delivery of speech and language therapy services to children and young people with special educational needs. The study is due to report in the first quarter of 2007.

Statementing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children were statemented in each local education authority in England in the last academic year for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  All schools 1 : pupils with statements of SEN, based on where the pupil attends school, January 2006, by local authority area and Government office region in England 
			Pupils with statements 
			   Total pupils  Number  Percentage 
			  England( 2)  8,215,690  236,750  2.9 
			 
			  North East( 2)  414,400  12,600  3.0 
			 Darlington 16,337 491 3.0 
			 Durham 78,149 2,447 3.1 
			 Gateshead 30,578 857 2.8 
			 Hartlepool 15,889 362 2.3 
			 Middlesbrough 23,695 974 4.1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 42,410 1,008 2.4 
			 North Tyneside 31,573 1,046 3.3 
			 Northumberland 50,439 1,612 3.2 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 23,566 694 2.9 
			 South Tyneside 23,551 775 3.3 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 32,226 981 3.0 
			 Sunderland 45,987 1,349 2.9 
			 
			  North West( 2)  1,138,530  36,060  3.2 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 28,619 772 2.7 
			 Blackpool 22,124 626 2.8 
			 Bolton 49,330 1,420 2.9 
			 Bury 32,405 906 2.8 
			 Cheshire 111,401 3,530 3.2 
			 Cumbria 79,682 2,565 3.2 
			 Halton 18,956 904 4.8 
			 Knowsley 25,608 883 3.4 
			 Lancashire 180,019 7,332 4.1 
			 Liverpool 74,913 1,898 2.5 
			 Manchester 72,858 2,233 3.1 
			 Oldham 41,900 790 1.9 
			 Rochdale 34,987 1,133 3.2 
			 Salford 34,965 886 2.5 
			 Sefton 47,838 976 2.0 
			 St. Helens 28,605 856 3.0 
			 Stockport 45,706 1,613 3.5 
			 Tameside 36,488 932 2.6 
			 Trafford 38,034 931 2.4 
			 Warrington 31,928 1,229 3.8 
			 Wigan 48,016 1,799 3.7 
			 Wirral 54,146 1,850 3.4 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber( 2)  837,220  22,600  2.7 
			 Barnsley 34,645 963 2.8 
			 Bradford 92,163 2,380 2.6 
			 Calderdale 35,926 1,047 2.9 
			 Doncaster 50,098 1,598 3.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 51,840 1,326 2.6 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 39,811 1,278 3.2 
			 Kirklees 65,779 2,094 3.2 
			 Leeds 115,598 2,645 2.3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 26,130 999 3.8 
			 North Lincolnshire 25,235 1,048 4.2 
			 North Yorkshire 94,030 2,021 2.1 
			 Rotherham 45,251 1,335 3.0 
			 Sheffield 78,075 2,030 2.6 
			 Wakefield 56,105 1,327 2.4 
			 York 26,530 510 1.9 
			 
			  East Midlands( 2)  703,770  18,540  2.6 
			 Derby 40,675 1,192 2.9 
			 Derbyshire 119,696 3,519 2.9 
			 Leicester 50,180 1,566 3.1 
			 Leicestershire 101,080 2,920 2.9 
			 Lincolnshire 107,668 3,910 3.6 
			 Northamptonshire 112,034 3,357 3.0 
			 Nottingham 42,853 627 1.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 122,472 1,283 1.0 
			 Rutland 7,116 161 2.3 
			 
			  West Midlands( 2)  909,460  28,410  3.1 
			 Birmingham 185,070 6,680 3.6 
			 Coventry 52,317 1,500 2.9 
			 Dudley 50,038 1,351 2.7 
			 Herefordshire 25,600 874 3.4 
			 Sandwell 50,257 1,225 2.4 
			 Shropshire 45,317 1,326 2.9 
			 Solihull 39,381 959 2.4 
			 Staffordshire 131,784 4,607 3.5 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 36,640 1,239 3.4 
			 Telford and Wrekin 28,382 1,107 3.9 
			 Walsall 49,932 1,227 2.5 
			 Warwickshire 83,248 2,295 2.8 
			 Wolverhampton 42,548 1,285 3.0 
			 Worcestershire 88,943 2,730 3.1 
			 
			  East of England( 2)  909,210  24,470  2.7 
			 Bedfordshire 69,899 2,199 3.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 86,274 2,763 3.2 
			 Essex 212,090 5,039 2.4 
			 Hertfordshire 198,338 4,152 2.1 
			 Luton 32,480 769 2.4 
			 Norfolk 119,801 3,570 3.0 
			 Peterborough 29,541 1,169 4.0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 28,596 808 2.8 
			 Suffolk 109,220 3,167 2.9 
			 Thurrock 22,968 836 3.6 
			 
			  London( 2)  1,213,870  34,470  2.8 
			  Inner London( 2)  435,340  12,690  2.9 
			 Camden 29,176 970 3.3 
			 City of London 2,134 8 0.4 
			 Hackney 32,071 953 3.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 22,623 799 3.5 
			 Haringey 37,241 1,069 2.9 
			 Islington 23,670 740 3.1 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 21,723 364 1.7 
			 Lambeth 31,815 1,009 3.2 
			 Lewisham 37,681 1,192 3.2 
			 Newham 50,538 701 1.4 
			 Southwark 42,140 1,481 3.5 
			 Tower Hamlets 38,873 1,330 3.4 
			 Wandsworth 38,390 1,456 3.8 
			 Westminster 27,264 614 2.3 
			 
			  Outer London( 2)  778,530  21,780  2.8 
			 Barking and Dagenham 31,575 831 2.6 
			 Barnet 54,454 1,349 2.5 
			 Bexley 41,625 1,344 3.2 
			 Brent 43,150 1,171 2.7 
			 Bromley 51,435 1,544 3.0 
			 Croydon 58,608 1,353 2.3 
			 Baling 48,722 1,286 2.6 
			 Enfield 51,386 1,318 2.6 
			 Greenwich 40,259 1,374 3.4 
			 Harrow 33,971 875 2.6 
			 Havering 37,204 900 2.4 
			 Hillingdon 46,822 1,370 2.9 
			 Hounslow 37,126 1,276 3.4 
			 Kingston upon Thames 25,114 581 2.3 
			 Merton 27,335 975 3.6 
			 Redbridge 49,211 1,216 2.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 28,883 623 2.2 
			 Sutton 33,069 1,024 3.1 
			 Waltham Forest 38,580 1,373 3.6 
			 
			 South East(2) 1,311,140 38,390 2.9 
			 Bracknell Forest 17,887 508 2.8 
			 Brighton and Hove 34,760 1,190 3.4 
			 Buckinghamshire 84,682 2,347 2.8 
			 East Sussex 73,524 2,271 3.1 
			 Hampshire 188,700 4,617 2.4 
			 Isle of Wight 20,263 646 3.2 
			 Kent 232,590 6,888 3.0 
			 Medway 44,976 1,333 3.0 
			 Milton Keynes 38,184 1,131 3.0 
			 Oxfordshire 101,204 2,592 2.6 
			 Portsmouth 27,716 775 2.8 
			 Reading 19,777 549 2.8 
			 Slough 22,100 614 2.8 
			 Southampton 29,730 582 2.0 
			 Surrey 178,755 5,635 3.2 
			 West Berkshire 28,168 1,140 4.0 
			 West Sussex 116,697 3,909 3.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 25,012 705 2.8 
			 Wokingham 26,412 956 3.6 
			 
			  South West( 2)  778,100  21,220  2.7 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 29,392 845 2.9 
			 Bournemouth 22,130 445 2.0 
			 Bristol, City of 56,793 1,695 3,0 
			 Cornwall 75,452 2,069 2.7 
			 Devon 106,496 3,288 3.1 
			 Dorset 61,145 1,792 2.9 
			 Gloucestershire 93,810 2,512 2.7 
			 Isles of Scilly 252 5 2.0 
			 North Somerset 29,169 640 2.2 
			 Plymouth 39,931 1,360 3.4 
			 Poole 20,399 491 2.4 
			 Somerset 79,706 1,513 1.9 
			 South Gloucestershire 41,265 1,109 2.7 
			 Swindon 29,041 826 2.8 
			 Torbay 20,173 861 4.3 
			 Wiltshire 72,946 1,766 2.4 
			 (1) Includes nursery, primary, middle, secondary, independent and special schools, pupil referral units and city technology colleges. (2) National and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Schools' Census

Teachers

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of newly qualified  (a) secondary and  (b) primary school teachers who had not taken up full-time teaching posts one year after qualification in each of the last five years, broken down by region.

Jim Knight: [holding answer 13 December 2006: The following tables provide the number and percentage of final year trainees from Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) award by academic year who have not commenced a full time teaching post six months after completing their course in the academic years, 2002/03 to 2004/05:
	
		
			  Final year HEI primary school trainees gaining QTS award by academic year and region that have not commenced a full-time teaching post six months after completing their course 
			  Provider/Year  Not in full time teaching post  Percent of all QTS award trainees not in full time teaching post  Number and percentage of unknown destinations 
			  Eastern 
			 2002/03 310 28 80 8 
			 2003/04 330 29 130 11 
			 2004/05 320 29 90 8 
			  
			  East Midlands 
			 2002/03 150 18 70 9 
			 2003/04 210 25 80 9 
			 2004/05 210 24 100 11 
			  
			  London 
			 2002/03 360 16 440 20 
			 2003/04 500 22 310 13 
			 2004/05 480 21 270 12 
			  
			  North East 
			 2002/03 250 38 50 1 
			 2003/04 260 42 60 10 
			 2004/05 240 38 70 11 
			  
			  North West 
			 2002/03 530 25 340 16 
			 2003/04 540 24 380 17 
			 2004/05 640 28 320 14 
			  
			  South East 
			 2002/03 380 23 140 9 
			 2003/04 290 18 220 13 
			 2004/05 330 19 240 14 
			  
			  South West 
			 2002/03 430 35 160 13 
			 2003/04 490 38 90 7 
			 2004/05 440 34 180 14 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 2002/03 180 20 60 7 
			 2003/04 240 25 70 7 
			 2004/05 190 17 110 10 
			  
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 
			 2002/03 410 33 150 12 
			 2003/04 450 33 280 21 
			 2004/05 420 32 160 12 
			  
			  Sector 
			 2002/03 2980 25 1,490 13 
			 2003/04 3310 27 1,610 13 
			 2004/05 3260 26 1,550 12 
			  Source:  The IDA performance profiles 
		
	
	
		
			  Final year HEI secondary school trainees gaining QTS award by academic year and region that have not commenced a full-time teaching post six months after completing their course 
			  Provider /Year  Not in full time teaching post  Percent of all QTS award trainees not in full time teaching post  Number and percentage of unknown destinations 
			  Eastern 
			 2002/03 290 24 90 8 
			 2003/04 360 30 80 7 
			 2004/05 320 28 100 8 
			  
			  East Midlands 
			 2002/03 130 17 100 13 
			 2003/04 160 17 110 12 
			 2004/05 210 24 60 6 
			  
			  London 
			 2002/03 330 16 580 27 
			 2003/04 410 16 360 14 
			 2004/05 420 17 300 12 
			  
			  North East 
			 2002/03 200 30 30 5 
			 2003/04 280 40 50 7 
			 2004/05 170 23 60 8 
			  
			  North West 
			 2002/03 550 22 380 15 
			 2003/04 650 24 230 8 
			 2004/05 670 26 250 10 
			  
			  South East 
			 2002/03 420 25 180 11 
			 2003/04 420 22 220 12 
			 2004/05 480 26 190 10 
			  
			  South West 
			 2002/03 450 30 120 8 
			 2003/04 450 26 130 7 
			 2004/05 420 26 180 11 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 2002/03 590 41 60 4 
			 2003/04 650 44 50 3 
			 2004/05 480 34 140 10 
			  
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 
			 2002/03 340 22 170 10 
			 2003/04 340 21 310 18 
			 2004/05 460 26 220 13 
			  
			  Sector 
			 2002/03 3,300 24 1,720 13 
			 2003/04 3,710 25 1,530 10 
			 2004/05 3,620 25 1,490 10 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for final year trainees include HEIs only, but exclude SCITT, OU and employment based routes. This is because the breakdown of teaching posts into full time or part time posts is only available for HEIs. 2. Trainees gaining QTS award and classified as not being employed in a full time teaching post six months after completing their course include trainees who are in part time teaching posts, seeking a teaching post, not seeking a teaching post and have an unknown destination. 3. Data on destinations of final year trainees for 2005/06 is not yet available. 4. The breakdown of the type of teaching posts which trainees enter (i.e. full time or part time) is only available for trainees who were awarded QTS in 2002/03 onwards. 5. Percentage calculation includes response whose employment status was unknown. 6. Figures are individually rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum.  Source:  The TDA performance profiles

Teachers

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are in their final year of training to become  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school teachers.

Jim Knight: holding answer 13 December 2006
	The following table provides the number Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees who are in their final year of training in the academic year 2006/07, for primary and secondary courses.
	
		
			  Mainstream ITT: Number of final year trainees 
			   2006/07 trainees 
			 Primary 14,410 
			 Secondary 16,960 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for mainstream final year trainees include Universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but exclude employment based routes. 2. These figures cover actual registrations for the autumn term and expected registrations for the remainder of the 2006/07 academic year. These figures include trainees who are resitting all or part of their ITT programme. 3. Figures for 2006/07 are provisional and are subject to change 4. Figures are individually rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  ITT Trainee Number Census

Teachers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding the Department provided to Teachers' TV in each year since its inception; and what proportion of the total budget this funding represents.

Jim Knight: Teachers' TV aims to help raise standards in classrooms by helping to share good practice, support continuing professional development, offer classroom resources, and provide education news and information. The channel's target audience includes teachers, school leaders, teaching assistants and school governors.
	In the channel's first operating year, which ended 31 July 2005, the Department provided funding of £19,879,342.
	In the channel's second operating year, which ended 31 July 2006, the Department provided funding of £15,993,920.
	The cost of funding Teachers' TV represented 0.055 per cent. of the Department's total Budget(1) in its first operating year, and 0.039 per cent. in its second operating year.
	(1 )Total Central Government Spending on Education in England (as set out in Annex A of the Department's Annual Report 2006)

Teaching Vacancies

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching vacancies there are in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Eastbourne constituency.

Jim Knight: Information on teacher vacancies is not available at constituency level but is available by local authority.
	Eastbourne constituency is included within East Sussex local authority.
	There were 10 full-time vacancies in maintained nursery/primary schools and seven full-time vacancies in maintained secondary schools in East Sussex local authority, in January 2006.
	These figures show advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration) including those being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term.

Truth in Science

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools which have  (a) been contacted by and  (b) received materials from Truth in Science Ltd.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the number of schools that have been contacted by Truth in Science Ltd. We understand however that the 'truth in science' packs have been sent to every secondary school in the United Kingdom.

United Learning Trust

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how much sponsorship money has been paid to each academy run by the United Learning Trust; and on what date each payment was made;
	(2)  how much public money his Department has paid to the United Learning Trust.

Jim Knight: In answer to her first question I would like to refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ107604 and PQ107606. These replies contain information on sponsorship amounts for each ULT academy. In answer to her second question, the following table provides information on capital costs and revenue paid to each of the ULT academies as of December 2006.
	
		
			  Capital 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1)  Total 
			 Manchester 257,269 3,870,426 12,998,912 1,592,006 — 18,718,613 
			 Lambeth 739,983 13,462,743 10,340,449 — — 24,543,175 
			 Northampton — 1,522,667 16,710,193 6,729,835 1,214,160 26,176,855 
			 Salford — — — 7,816,355 5,215,838 13,032,193 
			 Sheffield Springs — — — 779,823 4,912,036 5,691,859 
			 Sheffield Park — — — 763,778 3,018,930 3,782,708 
			 Paddington — — 2,353,774 9,976,969 9,338,161 21,668,904 
			 Walthamstow — — — 826,215 3,686,654 4,512,869 
			 Barnsley — — — 1,281,998 349,803 1,631,801 
			 Stockport — — — — 686,593 686,593 
			 Total — — — — — 120,445,570 
		
	
	
		
			  Revenue 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1)  Total 
			 Manchester 252,423 2,793,980 3,292,736 3,855,001 2,247,083 12,441,223 
			 Lambeth 179,928 299,697 2,123,015 2,079,617 1,870,449 6,552,706 
			 Northampton 145,372 88,822 4,988,517 5,715,246 4,280,551 15,218,508 
			 Salford 0 1,969 144,199 2,596,524 2,694,538 5,437,230 
			 Sheffield Springs 0 0 0 167,151 3,215,927 3,383,078 
			 Sheffield Park 0 0 0 140,722 3,048,662 3,189,384 
			 Paddington 0 36,902 312,924 333,116 3,875,870 4,558,812 
			 Walthamstow 0 0 0 216,463 2,856,169 3,072,632 
			 Barnsley 0 0 41,537 128,094 2,141,970 2,311,601 
			 Stockport 0 0 0 0 141,238 141,238 
			 Total — — — — — 56,306,412 
			 (1) Up to 6 December 2006.

University Attendance: West Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of  (a) 18 year olds and  (b) 19 year olds from West Chelmsford constituency attended university courses in each year since 1996-97.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures on participation in higher education by constituency were published by the Higher Education funding Council for England in January 2005 in "Young Participation in England", which is available from their website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05—03/
	This report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19, disaggregated by constituency, for the years 1997 to 2000. The figures for West Chelmsford, and the comparable figure for England, are shown in the table. HEFCE have not produced participation rates beyond 2000.
	
		
			  Young participation rate (YPR (A)) in higher education( 1)  for year cohort aged 18. 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			 Cohort for West Chelmsford(2 )(Percentage) 1,160 1,130 1,180 1,220 
			 Young participation rate (A) for West Chelmsford(3) 33 34 33 34 
			 Young participation rate (A) for England (Percentage) 29.2 28.8 29.2 29.9 
			 (1 )Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions and other UK institutions, for example further education colleges. (2) Cohorts are reported to the nearest 10. (3) Young participation rates for constituencies are reported to the nearest per cent.  Source:  Higher education funding council for England 
		
	
	The total numbers of entrants from West Chelmsford for each year since 2001/02 are given in the table:
	
		
			  Entrants to undergraduate courses( 1)  from West Chelmsford. 
			   2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			 Aged 18 295 325 350 340 
			 Aged 19 145 150 145 130 
			 Aged over 19(2) 1,050 1,010 1,045 1,395 
			 Total entrants 1,490 1,485 1,540 1,865 
			 (1) Covers all students studying higher education courses at UK higher education institutions only. Students studying higher education courses elsewhere such as further education colleges are excluded. (2) Includes a very small number of students with unknown ages or ages under 18.  Note: Figures are based on the HESA standard registration population for entrants and have been rounded to the nearest 5, so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). 
		
	
	The Department uses the higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) to assess progress on increasing first-time participation of English students aged 18-30 in higher education towards 50 per cent.: the latest provisional figure for 2004/05 is 42 percent. The HEIPR is not calculated at constituency level.

Youth Employment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Pakistani and Bangladeshi 18-year-old  (a) males and  (b) females are not in education, employment or training; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is measured using estimates from the Department's statistical first release "Participation in education, training and employment by 16-18-year-olds in England". These estimates cannot be broken down by ethnic group.
	The Youth Cohort Study (YCS), which looks at young people's education and labour market experience, can be used to estimate the proportion of young people who are NEET by certain characteristics. The latest YCS figures estimate that 17 per cent. of Pakistani/Bangladeshi 18-year-olds were NEET in 2006, but it is not possible to derive reliable estimates for males and females within this group. YCS cannot be used to estimate the number of young people NEET.
	Connexions services have recently begun collecting information on young people known to them by age, gender and ethnic background, and this is expected to be complete by April 2007.
	The Department has a target to reduce the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET by 2 percentage points by 2010. We will focus particularly on groups of young people who are over represented in the NEET group.
	There is a close alignment between poor educational attainment pre-16 and the likelihood of becoming NEET between the ages of 16 and 18. Our 14-19 reforms are aimed at raising attainment levels, and ensuring that as many young people as possible remain in education and training up to the age of 18. This is supported by the Government's Aiming High strategy for raising the academic achievement of minority ethnic pupils includes a programme of targeted work supporting Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Somali and Turkish pupils. The attainment gap is now closing for both Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils.
	Youth Matters set out a series of reforms aimed at improving the way in which services work together to support young people, particularly those most at risk of underachieving.

TREASURY

Birth Registrations

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time between the registration of a birth and the receipt of a first instalment of child benefit was for the year 2005-06, broken down by local authority area.

Edward Balls: This information is not available.

Charitable Status

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which campaign organisations and think tanks funded by his Department hold charitable status.

Edward Balls: The Treasury's accounting system does not separately identify charitable campaigning organisations or think tanks therefore a comprehensive list could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Children's Sport

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department received on including measures to improve sports participation and fitness among children in the pre-Budget report; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Ministers and officials from HM Treasury received no such specific representations for the pre-Budget report. However, representations are regularly received from individuals representing a range of interests in sport including children's participation.

Children's Sport

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures in the pre-Budget report are aimed at improving sports participation and fitness among children; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: There were no measures announced in the pre-Budget report aimed at improving sports participation and fitness among children. However, the Chancellor announced in his speech that the Culture Secretary and Minister for the third sector my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband) will be consulting on how a new generation of young people can do more to volunteer in the run up to the Olympics. We will set out details of the consultation in due course.

Civil Service Staff

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed, full-time equivalent, in the civil service and Government agencies in York  (a) in total and  (b) in the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton in each year since 1992.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people were employed, full-time equivalent, in the Civil Service and government agencies in York (a) in total and (b) in the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton in each year since 1992. (105709)
	Civil Service employment statistics are published only at the level of the Government Offices for the Regions. In order to provide the information requested for York, an ad hoc analysis has been required. This analysis is based on the Mandate survey which currently provides approximately 90 per cent coverage of Civil Service departments and agencies. For years prior to 2003 the coverage is lower. For comparison purposes, employment numbers for the Yorkshire and Humber region are therefore presented alongside the requested statistics i) as published for the total Civil Service and ii) as available from the Mandate survey.
	
		
			  Civil service employment—permanent employees 1992-2005 
			  Full-time equivalent 
			  1 April  Central science laboratory—York  Civil service—Yorkshire and the Humber  Civil service (mandate only)—Yorkshire and the Humber  Civil service (mandate only)—York 
			 1992 0 34,930 n/a 1,010 
			 1993 0 36,200 n/a 1,100 
			 1994 0 34,240 n/a 1,000 
			 1995 0 33,090 n/a 1,030 
			 1996 0 32,230 n/a 1,080 
			 1997 370 32,270 17,350 1,560 
			 1998 400 32,010 17,450 1,460 
			 1999 410 31,860 17,320 1,490 
			 2000 550 33,060 18,120 1,630 
			 2001 560 33,890 19,370 1,760 
			 2002 600 35,050 22,490 2,140 
			 2003 630 35,570 25,190 2,420 
			 2004 620 39,140 27,270 2,760 
			 2005 610 38,670 34,200 2,850 
			 n/a = not available.  Notes: 1. Disclosure policy—figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Central Science Laboratory site in York opened in 1996.  Source: Civil Service Statistics, Mandate

Commission on Unclaimed Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many candidates were considered for the position of chairman of the Commission on Unclaimed Assets;
	(2)  on what date Sir Ronald Cohen was appointed to the Commission on Unclaimed Assets; and what  (a) salary and  (b) expenses he has been paid since his appointment.

John Healey: The Commission on Unclaimed Assets is an independent body that is not affiliated to Government. The Government were not involved in the establishment of the Commission.

Departmental Computer Data

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many attempts to gain unauthorised access to his Department's computer systems  (a) were detected and  (b) succeeded in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The Department has recorded the following attempts to gain unauthorised access.
	
		
			   Detected  Succeeded 
			 2002-03 1 1 
			 2003-04 0 0 
			 2004-05 1 0 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 0 0

Departmental Computer Data

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any of the  (a) computer data and  (b) computer back-up data of HM Revenue and Customs is stored with online data storage providers.

John Healey: HMRC does not store data with online data storage providers.

Departmental Computer Data

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any of his Department's  (a) computer data and  (b) computer back-up data is stored with online data storage providers.

John Healey: None of the Department's  (a) computer data nor  (b) computer back-up data is stored with online data storage providers.

Departmental Computer Data

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any of his Department's  (a) computer data and  (b) computer back-up data is stored outside the United Kingdom.

John Healey: None of the Department's  (a) computer data nor  (b) computer back-up data is stored outside the United Kingdom.

Departmental Computer Data

David Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any of the  (a) computer data and  (b) computer backup data of HM Revenue and Customs is stored outside the United Kingdom.

John Healey: No taxpayer data are stored or processed outside of the UK other than some Customs and Excise information held in foreign embassies where Customs staff have a presence.
	Limited diagnostic computer data are occasionally processed outside the UK where a third party supplier's technical support is provided from outside of the UK during the night.
	All the Department's IT service outsourcing contracts are subject to the Department's security standards.

Economic Activity

Alan Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rates of  (a) male and  (b) female economic activity were in each local authority ward in Darlington in each year since 1979.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 December 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the rates of (a) male and (b) female economic activity were in each local authority ward in Darlington in each year since 1979. (108168)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics of economic activity from the Labour Force Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, estimates of economic activity are not available for wards as the survey sample size for such areas is too small.
	Tables 1 to 3, attached, show economic activity rates for all persons of working age, males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59, resident in wards within Darlington from the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses of Population respectively.
	
		
			  Table 1: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Darlington; 1981 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bank Top 77 91 62 
			 Central 77 90 62 
			 Cockerton East 76 91 60 
			 Cockerton West 78 92 64 
			 College 74 88 59 
			 Eastbourne North 76 92 59 
			 Eastbourne South 74 91 56 
			 Harrowgate Hill 81 94 66 
			 Haughton East 78 93 63 
			 Haughton West 80 94 65 
			 Heighington 57 65 47 
			 Hummersknott 70 84 54 
			 Hurworth 74 88 59 
			 Lascelles 78 92 63 
			 Lingfield 78 93 62 
			 Middleton St. George 77 93 59 
			 Mowden 78 92 63 
			 North Road 77 90 61 
			 Northgate North 80 92 66 
			 Northgate South 79 92 63 
			 Park East 74 90 57 
			 Park West 72 87 57 
			 Pierremont 79 91 67 
			 Sadberge 73 95 51 
			 Whessoe 75 93 55 
			 
			 Darlington 76 90 61 
			 (1)1981 frozen wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 1981 Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Darlington; 1991 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bank Top 82 89 74 
			 Central 78 86 70 
			 Cockerton East 76 86 66 
			 Cockerton West 71 83 60 
			 College 77 85 68 
			 Eastbourne North 72 88 58 
			 Eastbourne South 71 84 57 
			 Harrowgate Hill 81 89 73 
			 Haughton East 78 89 66 
			 Haughton West 79 88 70 
			 Heighington 64 69 59 
			 Hummersknott 73 82 64 
			 Hurworth 79 85 72 
			 Lascelles 76 87 65 
			 Lingfield 77 86 67 
			 Middleton St. George 79 87 71 
			 Mowden 78 86 70 
			 North Road 81 89 72 
			 Northgate North 80 87 71 
			 Northgate South 82 90 73 
			 Park East 73 86 59 
			 Park West 76 85 67 
			 Pierremont 82 89 75 
			 Sadberge 79 91 66 
			 Whessoe 78 87 67 
			 
			 Darlington 77 87 67 
			 (1) 1991 frozen wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 1991 Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Darlington; 2001 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bank Top 74 79 69 
			 Central 69 74 64 
			 Cockerton East 80 85 76 
			 Cockerton West 67 75 59 
			 College 79 83 75 
			 Eastbourne 71 77 66 
			 Faverdale 89 93 85 
			 Harrowgate Hill 83 87 78 
			 Haughton East 71 74 67 
			 Haughton North 81 84 77 
			 Haughton West 79 84 74 
			 Heighington and Coniscliffe 78 82 73 
			 Hummersknott 78 82 73 
			 Hurworth 79 83 75 
			 Lascelles 72 78 66 
			 Lingfield 76 81 71 
			 Middleton St George 82 84 79 
			 Mowden 79 82 76 
			 North Road 75 81 70 
			 Northgate 74 79 68 
			 Park East 69 78 60 
			 Park West 78 83 72 
			 Pierremont 80 85 76 
			 Sadberge and Whessoe 80 85 76 
			 
			 Darlington 77 81 71 
			 (1) Census Area Statistics wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 2001 Census.

Exchequer Contingent Liabilities

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of contingent liabilities to the Exchequer arising under FRS17.

Stephen Timms: Where a Department has provided a guarantee of any pension scheme, it is a matter for that Department to report any obligations created by the guarantee to Parliament in accordance with the requirements of Government Accounting, and to report the related contingent liability in its Departmental Resource Accounts in accordance with the Government's Financial Reporting Manual.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent by his Departments and their associated public bodies in order to achieve Gershon efficiency savings; whether these costs have been included in reports of headline efficiency savings; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury Group has detailed plans and work streams to enable it to meet its efficiency target. These work streams are set out in our efficiency technical note which is available on the Treasury website. Detailed information on the costs of each of these individual work streams is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much efficiency savings have been made in his Departments and their associated public bodies as a result of the Gershon Review; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury Group's performance against its efficiency target is published in the 2006 Autumn Performance Report (Cm 6990), which is being laid before Parliament today.

Heat Wave Deaths

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of excess deaths resulting from summer heat waves in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what estimate has been made of the number of excess deaths resulting from a summer heat wave in each year since 1997. (108617)
	Estimates of the excess deaths resulting from a summer heat wave are only calculated when temperatures remain abnormally high over a sustained period of time. The most severe heat wave of recent times occurred in August 2003. During July 2006 there were also several days when heat wave threshold temperatures were reached in one or more region.
	ONS calculated estimates of the excess deaths during these hot periods. Available figures are given in the attached table.
	
		
			  Excess mortality during periods of hot weather, England and Wales, 1997-2006 
			   Number of excess deaths  Percentage increase in mortality above baseline 
			 4-13 August 2003(1,2) 2,139 16 
			 1-7 July 2006(3,4) No excess 0 
			 16-28 July 2006(3,4) 680 4 
			 (1) Final data based on deaths occurring each day in this period. (2) Excess mortality was calculated as observed daily deaths in 2003 minus the baseline (average 1998 to 2002) expected mortality over the same time period. (3) Estimated data based on deaths occurring each day in this period. Final data will not be available until November 2007. (4) Excess mortality was calculated as observed daily deaths in 2006 minus baseline (average 2001 to 2005) expected mortality over the same time period.

HM Revenue and Customs Boat Sector

Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on operating border controls on uncanalised yacht and pleasure craft entering  (a) UK and  (b) South Coast waters.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs do not operate border controls on yachts and pleasure craft entering UK waters. HM Revenue and Customs Cutter Service challenge yachts and other pleasure craft sailing in UK waters on an intelligence led basis.

International Finance Facility for Immunisation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) bond scheme will be available for individual citizen contribution.

Edward Balls: The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) bonds are financial instruments aimed at converting long-term aid commitments from donors into frontloaded resources for immunisation. The first IFFIm bond sale was very successful, raising $1 billion and demonstrating not only the powerful moral case for immunisation now, but also the strong commercial attraction of these bonds.
	As financial instruments, the IFFIm bonds, like any other, will be repaid with interest. So they do not represent charitable contributions. However, the government strongly welcomes such support for immunisation. The funds raised by IFFIm bonds will be spent by the GAVI Alliance (formerly Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) to help immunise an additional 500 million children and save 10 million lives.

Light Bulbs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of  (a) reducing and  (b) removing VAT on the sale of energy saving light bulbs; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Under the agreements with our European partners that govern the VAT system, we are not able to extend our existing VAT zero rates or introduce any new ones. It is therefore not possible to remove VAT from energy saving light bulbs.
	Under the same European agreements, a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. is available for the construction, renovation and alteration of housing provided as part of a social policy. We have used this provision to introduce a reduced rate of VAT for the installation of a range of energy-saving and energy-efficient products and microgeneration technologies, but it cannot be used to apply a reduced rate for goods, such as light bulbs, which are sold for self-installation by the householder.
	Changes to the European agreements governing the availability of VAT reduced rates require the unanimous support of all EU member states. The Government have made the case at European level for changes to VAT agreements that would enable wider use of reduced rates for energy-saving and energy-efficient products. However there is significant resistance to the introduction of new reduced rates for goods from some member states because of the potential impact on the Single Market. We will consider our options and priorities for new reduced rates carefully when the issue next becomes due for discussion at EU level.
	The Government remain committed to meeting environmental challenges, and promotes household energy efficiency through a range of tax and other policy measures.

Minimum Wage

Alan Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how many people receive no more than the minimum wage, broken down by local authority area.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 December 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask how many people receive the minimum wage, broken down by local authority. (108834)
	Estimates for the number of jobs paid at the minimum wage for Local Authorities are not available. However the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculates estimates of the number of jobs paid less than national minimum wage rates for the United Kingdom and Government Office Regions. A guide to measuring low pay and associated articles and data can be found on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5837&ColRank=1&Rank=272

Ministerial Meetings

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials on the budget for British Waterways.

Edward Balls: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions on a range of issues with their counterparts in other Departments and with other organisations as part of the process of policy analysis, development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

National Savings and Investment

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 836W, what factors were taken into account in deciding not to pass the effects of the Bank of England interest rate rise of 9 November 2006 on to National Savings and Investment customers with  (a) investment accounts and  (b) easy access savings accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The following factors were taken into account in changing the interest rates on  (a) investment accounts and  (b) easy access savings accounts: the change in the Bank of England base rate, the rates offered by competitors on similar products, the administration costs of running the product, and interest rates offered on other NS&I products.

Politically Exposed Persons Directive

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implementation in the UK of Commission Directive 2006/70/EC, on Politically Exposed Persons; which categories of people would be covered; to what extent former and serving  (a) Cabinet members,  (b) Ministers,  (c) civil servants,  (d) European Commissioners,  (e) state employees and  (f) hon. Members and their relatives are covered; and what correspondence he has exchanged with the House authorities on this directive.

Edward Balls: Article 13 of Directive 2005/60/EC (the third EU Money Laundering Directive) imposes responsibilities on firms in the regulated sector to conduct enhanced due diligence on politically exposed persons residing in another Member State or a third country.
	Directive 2006/70/EC sets out implementing measures for the third EU Money Laundering Directive. It includes the following definition of politically exposed persons:
	heads of State, heads of government, Ministers and deputy or assistant Ministers;
	members of parliaments;
	members of supreme courts, of constitutional courts and of other high-level judicial bodies whose decisions are not generally subject to further appeal, except in exceptional circumstances;
	members of courts of auditors and of the boards of central banks;
	ambassadors, charges d'affaires and high-ranking officers in the armed forces;
	members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of state owned enterprises;

Poverty Statistics: Pensioners and Children

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners and  (b) children taken out of poverty as a result of the measures taken by his Department in each of the last five years.

Edward Balls: The Treasury has, in partnership with other Government Departments, pursued a comprehensive strategy to tackle poverty and promote economic opportunity through:
	Promoting macroeconomic stability
	Supporting work for those who can and ensuring that work pays, through the new deals, a National Minimum Wage and the working tax credit
	Providing financial support for groups at particular risk of poverty, such as child benefit and the child tax credit for families, and the pension credit for pensioners.
	Acting together, compared to 1996-97 and measured after housing costs, these measures have helped lift  (a) 2.1 million pensioners out of absolute low income poverty, and 1 million pensioners out of relative low income poverty, and  (b) 2.4 million children out of absolute low income poverty and 0.8 million children out of relative low income poverty.
	In addition, HMT has estimated the effect on child poverty of Government reforms to the personal tax credit and benefit system since 1997. This suggests that there are around 1.5 million fewer children in relative low income poverty, after housing costs, than if the 1997 personal tax credit and benefit system had simply been uprated in line with prices.

Pre-Budget Report

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the figure for planned defence expenditure in the resource budget in 2007-08 set out in the pre-Budget report 2006 is lower than that set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2004.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 13 December 2006
	Table 2.7 in Public Expenditure and Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2006 sets out the difference between plans in PESA 2005 and the latest plans. Transfers to other Government Departments and classification changes account for most of the difference, the principal change being the transfer of responsibility for the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency to the DTI.

Single Parents

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single parents there were in Beverley and Holderness in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your request for numbers of lone parents in the Beverley and Holderness Parliamentary Constituency in each year since 1997. (108466)
	Numbers of lone parents are not readily available annually for parliamentary constituencies. The most recent published figures for the number of lone parent families in each parliamentary constituency are available from the 2001 Census. These can be found in table CAS 007 on the 2001 Census CD "Census Area Statistics for Parliamentary Constituencies", which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  2001 census—census area statistics 
			  Cell  Beverley and Holderness 
			 CS0070001 All families : All families 29,027 
			 CS0070002 All families : Lone parent family: Male 524 
			 CS0070003 All families : Lone parent family: Female 2,743 
			 CS0070004 All families: Couple family 25,760 
			 CS0070005 Age of FRP under 35: All families 4,390 
			 CS0070006 Age of FRP Under 35: Lone parent family: Male 32 
			 CS0070007 Age of FRP Under 35 : Lone parent family: Female 828 
			 CS0070008 Age of FRP under 35 : Couple family 3,530 
			 CS0070009 Age of FRP under 35 : no dependent children 1,465 
			 CS0070010 Age of FRP under 35 : no dependent children 0 
			 CS0070011 Age of FRP under 35 : no dependent children 0 
			 CS0070012 Age of FRP under 35 - no dependent children 1,465 
			 CS0070013 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : All families 968 
			 CS0070014 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Male 7 
			 CS0070015 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Female 250 
			 CS0070016 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Couple family 711 
			 CS0070017 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : All families 406 
			 CS0070018 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Male 13 
			 CS0070019 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Female 201 
			 CS0070020 Age of FRP under 35 : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Couple family 192 
			 CS0070021 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 1,103 
			 CS0070022 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 6 
			 CS0070023 Age of FRP under 35 - two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 212 
			 CS0070024 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 : Couple family 885 
			 CS0070025 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : All families 448 
			 CS0070026 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Male 6 
			 CS0070027 Age of FRP Under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Female 165 
			 CS0070028 Age of FRP under 35 : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Couple family 277 
			 CS0070029 Age of FRP 35 and over : All families 24,637 
			 CS0070030 Age of FRP 35 and over : Lone parent family: Male 492 
			 CS0070031 Age of FRP 35 and over : Lone parent family: Female 1,915 
			 CS0070032 Age of FRP 35 and over : Couple family 22,230 
			 CS0070033 Age of FRP 35 and over : no dependent children : All families 15,946 
			 CS0070034 Age of FRP 35 and over : no dependent children : Lone parent family: Male 269 
			 CS0070035 Age of FRP 35 and over : no dependent children : Lone parent family: Female 841 
			 CS0070036 Age of FRP 35 and over : no dependent children : Couple family 14,836 
			 CS0070037 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : All families 576 
			 CS0070038 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Male 6 
			 CS0070039 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Female 52 
			 CS0070040 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 0 to 4 : Couple family 518 
			 CS0070041 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : All families 3,009 
			 CS0070042 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Male 131 
			 CS0070043 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Female 530 
			 CS0070044 Age of FRP 35 and over : one dependent child aged 5 to 18 : Couple family 2,348 
			 CS0070045 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 : All families 1,298 
			 CS0070046 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Male 7 
			 CS0070047 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 : Lone parent family: Female 78 
			 CS0070048 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 0 to 4 : Couple family 1,213 
			 CS0070049 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : All families 3,808 
			 CS0070050 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Male 79 
			 CS0070051 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Lone parent family: Female 414 
			 CS0070052 Age of FRP 35 and over : two or more dependent children; youngest aged 5 to 18 : Couple family 3,315 
			  Note: Figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Nomis on 7 December 2006]

Social Investment Taskforce

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many candidates were considered for the position of chairman of the Social Investment Taskforce;
	(2)  on what date Sir Ronald Cohen was appointed to the Social Investment Taskforce; and what  (a) salary and  (b) expenses he has been paid since his appointment.

John Healey: The Social Investment Taskforce was created in 2000 to review and develop the role of community financing in enterprise creation in disadvantaged areas. Every member of the taskforce including the chairman, appointed in February 2000, was chosen for their expertise in this special field. All were unpaid.

Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on statistics relating to the work of his Department in each of the last five years.

John Healey: There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual Report and Accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=1051. Copies are also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

Stem Cell Research

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date Sir Christopher Evans was appointed to his Department's independent review into stem cell research.

Stephen Timms: A letter from Sir John Pattison, chair of the UK Stem Cell Initiative, inviting Sir Christopher Evans to join the advisory panel was sent on 8 April 2005.

Tax Credits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost is of the increase of the tax credit income disregard from £2,500 to £25,000 in each financial year between 2006-07 and 2010-11 expressed in terms of entitlement.

Stephen Timms: The cost of the disregard is not the change in entitlement, but the foregone recovery of overpayments.
	I refer the hon. Member to the transcript of the Public Accounts Committee hearing held on 23 October 2006.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentations to the July 2006 Commonwealth Heads of Valuation Agencies Conference made by the Valuation Office Agency representatives.

Dawn Primarolo: A copy of the presentations to the July 2006 Commonwealth Heads of Valuation Agencies Conference, made by the Valuation Office Agency's representative, has been placed in the Library of the House.

Welfare Tax Credits: Proof of Identity

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many identity theft cases there were in relation to working tax credit in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005.

Stephen Timms: Information about the number of identity theft cases and ongoing investigations into identity theft cases relating to working tax credit is not separately recorded.